20,000 house owners await government decision

Visakhapatnam: The State government is stuck in a catch 22 situation to find a solution to the decades-old Simhachalam land dispute. As the High Court directed the state government not to take up any blind regularization of the Simhachalam lands, the government has been searching ways and means to find out an amicable solution to the issue.

Highlights:

• High Court says no to blind regularisation
• TDP had assured to clear the issue within 100 days after coming to power
• As of now, not a single inch has moved on the issue

As the issue has become a prestigious one for the Telugu Desam government, the tense officials are preparing a document to regularise the Simhachalam lands. During the 2014 general elections, Telugu Desam Party assured about 20,000 families who are residing in the vicinity of Sri VarahalakshmiNrusimha Swami temple of Simhachalam, that after coming to power an amicable regularisation will be made within 100 days for the long pending issue.

Lord SimhadriAppanna is having huge extent of lands spread in five villages including Adavivaram, Venkatapuram, Vepagunta, Purushottampuram and Cheemalapalli and about 20-km long hillock in 275 survey number. All these lands are now located in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation limits only. Till 1997, there was no issue and the government was also taking hardly any steps.

After the rapid urbanisation, in the farm lands large number of residential colonies and other public utilities emerged. Thousands of employees and small and middle income group purchased house sites and constructed houses. Banks and other financial institutions have also given loans to purchase the lands.

However, the then congress government stopped all the registrations in the five villages and survey number 275.
The owners in the said lands are having registered sale deeds and linked documents, but not even getting loans on their property. Even there are no any court directions in favour of Simhachalam Devasthanam, the endowment officials by appointing private guards are not allowing any construction and house repairs in the lands.

As the elections for GVMC are expected shortly, the government has been worrying on the issue. Though the government initially proposed regularise all the constructed houses categorising the houses as 100, 200, 250, 300 and 500 sq.yards respectively.

“As the case is pending in the High Court we cannot speak or announce any decision. We are trying our level-best to find out an amicable solution. However, the government must have informed its policy on the issue to the court and after obtaining the court permission only we have to issue orders. The government has to take up two categories of regularization - one is constructed houses and the other, vacant house sites purchased with clear title deeds.

Once the constructed houses areregularised, in the second phase the vacant land regularisation will take up. But, there is no single inch of movement on the Simhachalam lands issue,” a key official in the Endowments department told The Hans India.

By Vkl Gayatri