Anantapur: Illegal layouts dent AHUDA revenue

Anantapur: Anantapur-Hindupur Urban Development Authority (AHUDA), which was created a couple of years ago, is running with a skeletal staff. Except for a political appointee Mahalakshmi Sreenivas as its chairman, there are no administrative staff worth mentioning.

Due to lack of field staff particularly surveyors etc, AHUDA covering two parliamentary constituencies does not have the requisite staff to check malpractices of realtors, who are having a field day taking gullible land purchasers for a ride. The overnight appearance of fences over unapproved layouts and indiscriminate unofficial conversion of agriculture lands is depriving AHUDA of its revenue which it should have earned through the unapproved layouts. Although the panchayaths are not supposed to issue approvals without the knowledge of AHUDA, the former is issuing approvals. While the surveyors are earning illegal revenues and becoming rich overnight, AHUDA is starved of funds to administer the urban development body.

While this is the state of affairs in AHUDA, the Puttaparthi Urban Development Authority (PUDA) is also suffering from similar maladies. The announcement of Puttaparthi as the administrative capital of new district has resulted in a flurry of real estate activity and land values increasing at an astounding rate. Many in Puttaparthi are also converting agriculture and assigned lands into real estate ventures and emerging wealthy overnight.

Many who are not aware of the intricacies of real estate trading and cross checking of bonafides of land ownership and official approvals are being taken for a ride by vested interests, who broker real estate deals. Once the deal is over, there will be none to respond to any of their woes they encounter after realising that their purchased land is falling short of official requirements.

The realtors are not willing to adhere to AHUDA norms and regulations due to stringent norms with regard to laying of roads, leaving open spaces for parks and for public utility.

Panchayat officials were turning a blind eye to the violations by realtors. There are nearly 100 private layouts in 10 mandals and 95 panchayats spread in Puttaparthi, Bukkapatnam, Somandepalle, Kothacheruvu, Hindupur, Lepakshi, Chilamattur, Penukonda and Gorantla mandals.

In all these mandals, AHUDA had advised Panchayats against giving approvals for housing projects. But panchayats continue to accord approvals, some with old dates. The realtors take Panchayat approvals and are ignoring stringent norms and procedures set by AHUDA and thereby depriving it of huge revenue.

AHUDA has been asking Panchayats to apprise it on the unapproved layouts. Presently, AHUDA does not have the needed field staff to monitor happenings at the ground level.

AHUDA chairman Mahalakshmi Sreenivas told The Hans India that despite shortage of staff, he is gearing up the available staff and requesting services of panchayath surveyors for inspection of private unapproved layouts.

It is a matter of time when everything will be set in order. He appealed to the people against purchasing plots from unauthorised layouts