Prema Samajam alleges land grabbing

Visakhapatnam: Well-known and one of the oldest voluntary organisations Prema Samajam alleged that the management of a popular holiday resort on the Beach Road at Rushikonda prevented them performing bhoomi puja for the construction of Girls’ Junior College, Gosala and Old Age Home in their land on Wednesday. Prema Samajam has already leased out of 33.7 acres out of 50 acres to the resort for a period of 33 years in 2003 and wanted to utilise the remaining land.
Honorary secretary of Prema Samajam AV Ramana told reporters that the 50 acres of land was donated to Prema Samajam by one CP Rao in 1950. The endowments department had issued a notice to Prem Samajam stating that the lease was invalid as per the Endowment Act of 1987. The endowments department notified that Prema Samajam comes under the jurisdiction of endowments department. Ramana said since then efforts were being made to cancel the lease and take back the possession of the land. Assistant commissioner of endowments department EV Pushpa Vardhan and other officials on March 14 fixed bill boards at the site stating that the 10 acres of land belonged to endowments department and Prema Samajm.

“After the boards were fixed we gained courage and decided to build a Junior College for Girls, Gosala to house 80 cows and an Old Age Home as the land was ideally located,” Ramana said.

On Wednesday, Prema Samajam officials and 150 inmates of Prema Samajam went to the site to perform bhoomi puja. While arrangements were being made for the event, some musclemen belonging to the resorts asked them to vacate the land as it belonged to the resorts.

Ramana said they came back and decided to take up the matter with the State government. Ramana also feared that the resorts got a project worth Rs 50 crore cleared by the State government and might not vacate the land even after the lease period was over. Established in 1930, Prema Samajam runs an orphanage, schools, Leprosy Centres and Old Age Homes.