Uncertainty over Capital sparks land rows

VIJAYAWADAR: While the debate on the pros and cons of locating the capital city between Vijayawada and Guntur cities intensifies, the entry of unscrupulous elements into the scene has become a major cause for concern for the persons who have purchased the plots and land in this area.

Those who have purchased the plots a long time ago, are unable to demarcate the boundaries of their own plots in the ventures as a majority of these ventures are unauthorised ones. There were double and triple registrations for a single plot in villages like Kolanukonda, Chinakakani, Yerrabalem, Pedakakani, Navuluru and Tadepalli under Mangalagiri sub-registrar office in Guntur district.

'Several unauthorised layouts have been formed in the agriculture lands in these villages. The developers of the ventures or land owners would have converted the category of their land from agriculture to residential ones and got the approval of the VGTM-UDA for the formation of the layout.

But it seems that they do not care for the norms. As they wanted to make quick bucks, they have sold the land to several gullible persons to cash in on the situation.' said a real estate broker Kodanda Rama Raju of Mangalagiri town.

Many plot owners are now unable to identify their plots even with the maps of the layout. Following this, they are approaching the revenue officials for surveying the land. But the government surveyors are making it clear that they will not conduct the survey of the plots in the unauthorised layouts.

However, taking advantage of this situation, private surveyors are demanding thousands of rupees to survey the land.

In order to check the growing number of illegal layouts, the Krishna district collector held a meeting with the VGTM-UDA and the revenue officials on the unauthorised layouts recently.

There are about 300 unauthorised layouts within the jurisdiction of the VGTM-UDA in Krishna and Guntur districts while the approved ones are 253.

Meanwhile, several victims are approaching the politicians and the police, urging them to resolve the issues related to grabbing and disputes with regard to registrations and agreements. But taking a serious note of this, Guntur Urban SP Rajesh Kumar recently cautioned the cops against the settlements of land disputes.

Refusal of the land owners to execute the sale deed based on old prices is believed to be the prime reason for disputes. Attempts of middlemen to illegally encroach upon the lands by creating fake agreements have become a routine affair of late.

'Land litigation has become a routine affair here. Lands are being sold in the name of persons who have died a long time ago.' said Ranga Rao, a realtor based at Yerrabalem village, near Managalagiri.

It may be recalled here that the Mangalagiri police had arrested a tahsildar and two VROs who tried to transfer land worth `20 crore to unauthorised persons recently. Disputes over land are also being reported at Vedurupavuluru in Gannavaram mandal and other places near Vijayawada city.