Unauthorised layouts mushroom in Palasa

Srikakulam: Unapproved layouts are mushrooming on the outskirts of Palasa town. At Narsipuram and Chinnabadam area, the realtors are shifting clay from a tank to level the lands.

Due to huge demand for house sites here, as railway over bridge was sanctioned here, works are going at fast pace. To cash the situation, the ruling YSRCP leaders started real estate ventures here. As per norms, tax should be paid to the government through revenue department for conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural purpose which is otherwise known as land assessment for non-agricultural (NALA) purpose. NALA is three per cent out of the total market value of the land. In this area, about ten real estate ventures are being started by different owners and no one paid NALA. Before launching the works, permissions from the town planning department are also required by following norms like leaving 30 per cent as reserve site, side drains, 40 feet width internal roads etc. In addition to it, without permission from the revenue and irrigation departments' officials, shifting of clay from a tank is also illegal. Often town planning wing officials are alerting the public not to purchase plots or residential sites in unapproved layouts as they will not permit for construction.

"We are assessing amount of NALA for all these layouts and will send notices to owners of the concerned ventures and our staff is going to survey the lands," stated Palasa Tahsildar K Narayana Rao. Interestingly, municipal town planning officer S Revathi said that they received information and issued notices for its stoppage. But Palasa municipal commissioner T Raja Gopala Rao said that he has no information on these unapproved layouts.