RAK Investment Authority urges AP High Court to impose cost on petitioner

By S A Ishaqui
Hyderabad, March 28 :RAK Investment Authority, an associate company of the government of RAS Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, has urged the Andhra Pradesh High Court to impose heavy cost on the petitioner who had filed a writ against the establishment of a multicrore Hyderabad Economic City project in Medak district.
Mr Koneru Rajendra Prasad, director of the RAK Investment Authority (RAKIA), has submitted an affidavit to the court following the notice.

The high court had granted status quo on the project on a petition filed by Captain Lingala Panduranga Reddy. Captain Reddy of Hyderabad had filed the petition challenging the project, stating that the state government had not floated global tenders for such a huge project. He contended that the allotment was against to the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Land Revenue Act 1317 Fasali.
The government had proposed to develop the project on 2,000 acres and the APIIC was appointed as a nodal agency to implement the project. The government had entered into an agreement with RAK Investment Authority of UAE to execute the project.
The government also alienated 576 acres of land to the APIIC in January and February and the APIIC took possession of the land.
Mr Prasad submitted that it is a joint venture project between the government of RAS AL Khaimah and the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation has 26 per cent equity in the project. He said that the proposed project would cater to a pressing public need for quality health care, medical education, medical research facilities and an infrastructure hub for providing financial service.
He contended that the project was in public interest and it would result in creation of large-scale employment opportunities.
He submitted to the court that according to statistics, India had only 1.5 hospital beds per thousand people in 2001 as against the world standard of 4 beds per thousand people. Mr Prasad told the court that to reach an acceptable standard of 2 beds per 1,000 people, India will require 1.75 lakh beds by 2025. This alone would require an investment of 430 crore by 2025.

“The gap between supply and demand of hospital beds in the state is reportedly around 80,000. Similarly, there is shortfall of 35,000 nursing staff and 4,000 doctors,” he added.

Mr Prasad submitted to the court that the writ petition was wholly misconceived and has been filed in gross abuse of process of law by suppressing material information. He urged the court to vacate the interim orders passed by the court against the project.