Public utility land in layouts usurped

Realtors who enjoy political clout did not pay any tax nor handed over the public utility land to the municipality

Kodada (Nalgonda): The extraordinary growth of the town as an educational, commercial and industrial centre resulted in demand for more house sites in Kodada. Naturally, the land prices went through the roof during the last few years.

The land, which used to cost Rs. 3 lakh per acre in 1990s, has gone up now phenomenally to Rs One crore . A Nalgonda is the centre for three districts � Guntur, Khammam and Krishna. People from all the three districts started migrating to Kodada for various purposes and reasons. Naturally, there has been terrific demand for house sites.

The middlemen in the name of real estate stepped in and the agriculture lands have become house sites. However, the realtors are supposed to leave ten per cent of land for public utility in the layouts of these house sites. They are also supposed to pay NALA tax to the government at the rate of ten per cent of the value of the land.

With the active connivance of the officials and the political leaders, the realtors did not pay the NALA tax to the government and moreover, they had also sold out the ten per cent of land meant for public utility.A The outskirts of Kodada, Tammarabanda, Dwarakunta witnessed phenomenal growth. The then panchayat was not handed over even one square yard of land between 1985 and 2006 though sixty layouts were permitted during that period.

Again from 2006 to 2012, 44 layouts were permitted. Yet, the panchayat was not handed over a single square yard for public utility. A In essence, though several hundreds of acres was converted in house sites, there is no land for public utilities like parks, playground, community halls and other facilities in the town.

In this backdrop, Kodada has been upgraded into Grade-2 municipality. The rules have changed and the municipal commissioner initiated stringent measures against illegal layouts. Some realtors came forward to pay the NALA tax and even handed over the ten per cent of the layout land for public utility purpose.

However, a number of realtors who enjoy political clout did not pay any tax nor handed over the public utility land to the municipality.Th A population of Kodada town has crossed 60,000 and there is not a single park for public recreation.A It is high time officials acted to take over public utility land from the realtors to provide public park, play ground, community hall and others in the larger interest of the public.