8 urban housing projects in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam: Eight more urban housing projects are coming up in and around the city. The state government has directed the district administration to spot the lands for the housing projects on a priority basis.

The housing projects will be initiated by the Andhra Pradesh Township Infrastructure Development Corporation (APTIDC). As a part of the ‘housing for all’ progamme, the government has decided to construct one lakh houses before the elections to be held in 2019.

The district administration identified some areas, including Paravada, Sabbavaram, Gajuwaka, Paradesipalem and Kommadi, to launch the housing projects. The district administration deployed special teams with revenue, forest and horticulture officials to spot the assigned and encroached land in those areas.

The special deputy collectors (SDCs), revenue divisional officers (RDO) and tahasildars of the respective areas have been directed to speed up the identification of the lands. According to the phase-1 plan, 900 acres of land was identified at Parawada, Sabbavaram and Gajuwaka Tri Junction for housing projects. In Kommadi and Paradesipalem, the administration directed the special teams to identify 150 acres land in each location.

Taking the information from the Adangal copies, the teams have been visiting the areas to identify the encroached and assigned lands. The VROs and revenue inspectors of the respective areas have been working to spot the assigned and encroached government lands in the selected areas.
Meanwhile, the government survey teams also swung into action to mark the government lands and also to identify the assigned lands.

Collector Pravin Kumar directed the revenue officials to speed up the survey and land identification works to handover the lands to the APTIDCO without further delay. Though some lands have been identified, the urban housing project works are being delayed, the Collector said.

Meanwhile, the farmers and others, who have been enjoying the lands over 25 years and above, are not willing to handover the lands to the government. However, as per the conditions and rules, when the lands given to the poor and other categories, the government is having right to take back the lands. The government already announced to allocate sites to those who have been enjoying the lands for long time.

“We are not acquiring any private land. We are identifying the encroached government lands and assigned lands only. It is a golden opportunity to the beneficiaries and they are coming forward to handover the assign lands to the government,” a senior revenue official said.