Guntur government lands gobbled up

Hyderabad: According to sources, huge quantities of the government land in VGTM Urban Development Authority area of Guntur district have been encroached. The report submitted by district collector S Suresh Kumar to the state government made known that out of 21,595 acres of land in 14 mandals, hundreds of acres were in the hand of non-government bodies.

According to the report, most of rocky land is not useful for any construction or cultivation. Tank lands that also comprised a major portion of identified land have deep pits and are of no use for any construction activity. It is learnt that hundreds of acres of land in Tadepally have either been allotted to AP Tourism or maintained by department of Archeology.

A similr situation prevails in Tullur mandal, Velagapadu and Nelapadu villages where tank Poramboku land was allotted to BPL families, according to revenue authorities.

From the other end, the worse condition exists in Phirangipuram mandal where tank land is encroached and Wakf land is a burial ground. In Thullur, around 183 acres of tank Poramboku land was assigned to freedom fighters and ex-service men. Legal disputes are also bothering the administration. In Edulapalem of Prathipadu mandal, around 25 acres of land is entangled in a court case.