People told to vacate land in Nellore

Nellore: Residents of Korivivari-kandriga within the Nellore Municipal Corporation limits and close to Narayana General Hospital are worried about their future in view of a notice served to them to vacate their homes. They have constructed permanent houses and claimed that they have been living in the location since three generations. The government has laid cement roads, provided power, drinking water besides a school and have been collecting taxes from every household.

Endowments department served notices recently demanding all the residents to vacate claiming rights over the land. Officials are in a fix over the situation. According to information, the land belongs to Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple located in Kondlapudi in Nellore rural mandal. Incidentally, all those living in the habitation are cultivating 29.5 acres out of 33 acres of land belonging to the temple and paying lease for the entire place to the endowment wing since three decades.

Trouble started after they stopped paying lease to 3.5 acre, where they constructed houses, citing lack of irrigation facility to that piece of land. The endowments department allegedly had not made any attempt to take action although the farmers built the houses 30 years ago. They served notices in 2010 after the farmers started paying lease only for 29.5 acre. It is a million dollar question as to how the infrastructure such as roads and water facility were sanctioned without checking the ownership of the land which belongs to a temple.

"We have voter cards, Aadhaar Cards with this address and all households got power connections and paying power bills as well as property tax since all these years without default. We don't know where to go now," said one of the residents A. Eswaraiah. Incidentally, the revenue department carried out a survey and found 39 families living in the land since 30 years when the residents led by Eswaraiah sought endowments certificate in July 2010 after they were served notice by AP Endowments Tribunal, Hyderabad, to vacate and hand over the possession of the encroachment to the temple.

As of now, there are 93 houses and 83 families living in the area and all of them are appealing to the government to save their shelters. Reacting to their plea, urban development minister, Dr P. Narayana, has instructed the officer on special duty, Mr Penchal Reddy, to study the issue to find a solution. Pointing to a similar situation at Simhachalam where 12,800 structures came up on 500 acres of land belonging to endowments, Mr Penchal Reddy said that government has appointed a committee on Simhachalam issue in a bid help the residents and the committee report would help them to deal with this issue.