Visakhapatnam: VMRDA races against time to finish one-cent layouts
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) is burning the midnight oil to reach its deadline of making ready the one-cent layouts by this month-end.
The VMRDA is developing 56 layouts on about 4,000 acres in different parts of Visakhapatnam district for distribution of house sites to about 1.8 lakh homeless poor. The VMRDA has deployed special teams to various mandals, where the housing sites are located, to monitor the works.
Even though the VMRDA had set on developing these layouts about two years ago, court cases filed against land pooling stalled the progress. The Andhra Pradesh high court dismissed the case about a week ago, paving the way for resumption of works.
Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is likely to attend this house site distribution programme that is being planned for March 31. Around 1.8 lakh beneficiaries have been identified by officials under the ‘Pedalandariki Illu’ (housing for the poor) scheme, where the beneficiaries will get one cent of land each.
Speaking to TOI, VMRDA metropolitan commissioner K Venkata Ramana Reddy said the district officials handed over to the VMRDA about 4,000 acres to develop housing sites for 1.8 lakh beneficiaries. “The VMRDA has been working vigorously to make sure the layouts are completed by the month end. About 300 machines have been deployed for site levelling and other works. More machinery will be added in the next one to two days. Apart from these 4,000 acres earmarked for housing sites, the VMRDA is also developing the land share of the farmers,” said Venkata Ramana Reddy.
The state government earlier accorded its administrative sanction to the VMRDA to expend 150 crore towards development of these layouts. In return, the VMRDA will get a 15% share of the land. Once the layout development and plotting is over, the VMRDA would hand over the land back to the district officials, who will take care of distribution and other works.
State tourism minister M Srinivasa Rao and other officials visited a layout in Pendurthi mandal on Saturday. During the visit, the minister announced that the chief minister will participate in the site distribution programme and a public meeting on March 31.
“All the amenities are being created in the layouts being readied for the homeless poor. The beneficiaries have been chosen in a transparent manner,” said Srinivasa Rao.