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Demolition of houses leads to tension
Tension prevailed at Jaggayya Cheruvu in the town on Sunday when the revenue officials started taking over 718 plots from Benami and ineligible beneficiaries. Three JCBs were deployed to demolish the houses that came up in some of the plots. Though the people tried to resist the demolition of their houses, they did not succeed in their attempts.
Pithapuram (East Godavari): Tension prevailed at Jaggayya Cheruvu in the town on Sunday when the revenue officials started taking over 718 plots from Benami and ineligible beneficiaries. Three JCBs were deployed to demolish the houses that came up in some of the plots. Though the people tried to resist the demolition of their houses, they did not succeed in their attempts.
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About 100 houses were demolished. Heated exchanges took place between the house owners and revenue officials. A huge posse of a police force was deployed at the place to bring the situation under control. Having learnt about the news of demolition of houses, former MLA Pendem Dora Babu, former Mandal Parishad president Kurumella Rambabu, and YSR Congress Party activists rushed to the place and extended their support to the protest of people against the demolition of houses.
According to information, house sites were allotted to the poor people of the town in 15 acres at Jaggayya Cheruvu. House patties were issued to about 3,000 beneficiaries in a phased manner from 2006. Some of the beneficiaries failed to construct houses in their allotted sites due to non-sanction of loans. In the meantime, several beneficiaries sold the plots allotted to them.
The people who bought the sites constructed houses. When a few persons moved Lokayukta on the issue a year ago, it directed the revenue officials to take over the land from the ineligible people and benami beneficiaries after cancelling the allotment of sites. The revenue officials faced stiff resistance from the house owners to their demolition drive.
The house owners alleged that the revenue officials started demolishing their houses without serving notices on them prior. They contended that they were also poor and eligible for the housing scheme. Denouncing the demolition of houses, the victims staged a rasta roko on Pithapuram – Samalkot road. Dora Babu and YSRCP activists led the protest.
The former MLA fainted and was immediately shifted to hospital. When contacted tahsildar B Suguna said they found that 750 ineligible beneficiaries got land patties during a survey conducted on May 6. Out of the total, 32 land patties come under the purview of the Housing Department.
