House site scheme attracts criticism in Srikakulam district

Srikakulam: The State government's prestigious scheme, house sites for poor, is attracting criticism from the poor families. In most of the areas house sites have been allotted for the poor at uninhabitable placed in the district. In some areas local YSRCP leaders are allegedly collecting money from the poor to include the names in the beneficiaries' list.

Beneficiaries in S M Puram village under Etcherla mandal have been allotted house sites at Dharmapuram under Ponduru mandal, which is more than 5 km from their native village. On allotment of these sites, the residents of SM Puram are not happy and demanding allotment of sites near their village and complained to Etcherla YSRCP MLA Gorle Kiran Kumar. Residents of Kalivaram village have been allotted house sites on Nagavali river bund area at Muddadapeta village. Both the villages are located in Amudalavalasa mnadal under Amudalavalasa Assembly constituency from where Assembly speaker Tammineni Sitaram was elected.

Beneficiaries of Kalivaram village, M Laxmi, V Kanthamma, K Prabha and S Vasundhara expressed their unhappiness over allotment of house sites for them at Muddadapeta village on the bund of Nagavali river. A total of 24 beneficiaries of Kalivaram village have been allotted house sites at Muddadapeta village. Farmers of Dusi village in Amudalavalasa mandal complained to District Collector J Nivas on Tuesday through online mode, that the allotment of house sites at flood-prone area in their village. They alleged that officials, instead of allotting house site on the six-acre government land, proposed to distribute houses sites at flood-prone areas which will cause damage to their crops. In Tekkali Assembly constituency, beneficiaries alleged that money was collected by the ruling YSRCP leaders to include their names in the list. In Amudalavalasa constituency also the poor and eligible persons are being neglected and they have not been allotted sites.

At Gorinta village under Ponduru mandal Chintada Kannappa, who is poor and not having even one cent of land in the village, was denied house site. Local Revenue staff allegedly colluded with local YSRCP leaders and brokers and collected money from beneficiaries for allotment of house sites. "We have conducted a detailed survey at village level before allotment of sites and will conduct inquiry on allegations" Srikakulam Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) M V Ramana said.