'Ban' on land distribution

Virtually imposing a ban on land distribution, collectors of Krishna and Guntur districts have directed tehsildars not to sanction even a single house site to poor families until further instructions. They have even been told not to clear the already-approved files which have been pending for the past few months.

According to sources, the ban on issue of house sites and land allotments has been imposed following instructions from the state government, which reportedly plans to set up the new Andhra Pradesh capital in the Vijayawada-Guntur region. The 'ban' is said to have been imposed to ensure that enough government land is present in the region for development. "We have been asked not to grant any house sites to BPL families until further orders," confirmed a tehsildar, who did not wish to be named.

Normally, house sites for the below poverty line (BPL) families are sanctioned at the tehsildar level after endorsement from the assembly constituency-level land assignment committee headed by local legislators. However, of the 14 assembly segments in the capital region, five are represented by YSR Congress Party legislators. Sources said the officials feared that the YSRCP legislators may play spoilsport by giving away government land in their respective constituencies to the poor before the works for the capital city starts.

The decision is believed to have been taken keeping in view government lands in Nuzvidu, Gannavaram, Penamalur, Pamarru, Mailavaram, Vijayawada (East), Vijayawada (Central) and Vijayawada (West) constituencies in Krishna district, and Tenali, Mangalagiri, Tadikonda, Pedakurapadu, Guntur (East) and Guntur (West) segments in Guntur district. YSRCP legislators Meka Pratap Appa Rao and Alla Ramakrishna Reddy represent key constituencies like Nuzvidu and Mangalagiri.

'14,000 acres identified'

Guntur district collector Kanthilal Dande is reported to have submitted a report to the AP government stating that about 14,000 acres of land is available in bits and pieces in different areas of the district. The report said that more than 60 per cent of the vacant land is available in Palnadu region, which is far away from Guntur and Vijayawada cities.