Cash-starved TUDA to sell vacant sites

Tirupati: The Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) is mulling to sell its vacant sites as house plots for generation of income as the TUDA is facing shortage of funds to take up developmental works like laying roads, construction of drains and developing other amenities like public parks.

At present, the revenue generation source for TUDA is collecting fee for giving approval to layout plans and development charges. The budget allocated by the State government to the TUDA is only enough to pay monthly salaries to its employees. Every year, the government is allocating meagre funds to the TUDA.

After YSRCP government came to power, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had appointed Chandragiri MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy as TUDA Chairman. Chevireddy has directed TUDA Vice-Chairman PS Girisha to explore the possibilities of selling the Corporation's vacant sites as house plots for reasonable prices.

On the instructions of Chairman, PS Girisha, Secretary Sundarrami Reddy and staff of the Planning department have inspected all the vacant sites in Tirupati rural, Renigunta and Tirupati urban in the last week. They gathered the information about vacant sites, approximate market value and other relevant information.

Girisha inspected the sites at Mangalam, Seshadri Nagar layout, Peruru Nandanam layout and also opposite Vedentapuram site. Similarly, the V-C has inspected the 150 acres of Surappakasam site. The TUDA has set a target of earning more than Rs 100 crore by selling vacant sites.

Meanwhile, the TUDA has started the safeguarding the vacant lands by fixing the boundary stones. The plots will be sold in an open market. Similarly, TUDA officials are enquiring about the open market rate value about their vacant sites to assess how much income will generate by selling the house plots in and around Tirupati. The TUDA limits spread over 1,250 square kilometres in nine mandals of Chittoor district.