Encroachment drive leaves many homeless

Tirupati: The revenue authorities intensified the drive against illegal encroachments in government lands including water bodies like dried up steams, ponds and river beds in Renigunta and Tirupati rural mandal near the city leaving many poor affected. Latest, the revenue officials taken up clearing the large scale encroachment of Swarnmukhi river bed area in Avilala Panchayat limits, near the city.

Using heavy machineries, the revenue staff with police protection saw as many as 27 structures fully and 18 more partly razed to grounds since Monday. They also took over three borewells and a 3-mango orchid developed in the occupied river bed area.

Though the encroachment removal met with stiff resistance from residents, the revenue personnel in a determined effort were able to clear most of the encroachment came on the river bed while officials stated that the drive would continue till all the encroachment in the river area in Tirupati rural is cleared off. Many affected poor blamed the lower rung revenue staff like VROs and touts, who they said showed the land and allowed them to construct houses.

In KC Peta, the enraged people attacked VRA Ramana and injured him while another VRO Siva managed to flee and got admitted in a hospital, on Tuesday to escape from the wrath of the affected people.

The affected lamented that it was the irony that the same staff, who they alleged took thousands of rupees from them came with the police today for the removing their houses. It may be recalled that the revenue authorities launched the drive against illegal encroachment of government lands in Renigunta and Tirupati rural mandal where the encroachments are more last week.

First, the encroachment in Yerramareddypalem in Renigunta mandal in an extent of 1.28 acre land cleared after razing 28 houses to ground and the next day in Kurakaluva where 64 houses built on government land were removed.

Meanwhile, Tirupati Sub-Collector R Mahesh Kumar cautioned the public against taking up unauthorised constructions based on fictitious land documents believing the unscrupulous middlemen. He made it clear that all encroachments will be cleared in the

coming days.