Vijayawada: Acquisition of plots approved by the VGTM (Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali and Mangalagiri) urban development authority (UDA) for various development activities, including Gannavaram airport expansion works, is worrying the plot-owners, as officials are heading to initiate the process without giving clarity on compensation despite High Court orders.
Considering the huge real estate boom in the city post bifurcation, many real estate firms have laid Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, Mangalagiri Urban Develop-ment Authority (VGTM UDA) ventures near Gannavaram airport at an affordable price tag. Middle-class and above middle-class were the prime targets for these ventures and 20 ventures had taken root so far. Majority of these flats were handed over to buyers at market price of Rs 4,000 per sq yd, which now costs Rs 12,000.
But the expansion of Gannavaram airport runway from 1,074m to 3,360m has created problems for the buyers in the VGTM UDA-appro-ved ventures at Buddav-aram, Ajjampura, Kesa-rapalli and other five villages and the government had also issued notification to acquire 490 acres of land under the land pooling scheme (LPS). Majority of agriculture landowners have readily agreed for LPS and plot-owners in approved ventures refused to hand over their plots considering the poor compensation.
“Majority of plot owners in UDA-approved ventures are poor and middle-class. Many pensioners and middle-class have invested their retirement benefits and lifetime savings in these ventures and now our future is in uncertainty. Majority of plots were of 200-300 sq yd and in LPS, we were offered 60-100 sq yds in Amaravati, which was of no use for us,” said Lakshmi Kum-ari Sangula, a plot-owner in a venture at Allapuram panchayat.
“We have invested hu-ge amounts on approved plots, considering that they were government approved and have legal sanctity. But the government has taken our plots and insisting us to sign Form-3 accepting to give our plots. Half of our venture has submer-ged into Gannavaram airport and we have lost a way for venture and still officials were denying giving compensation as per rules and regulation,” said K. Patnaik, a senior citizen and member of Plot Owners Association of Allapuram (POAA).
“We have approached the High Court and it directed the district administration to give compensation under the Land Acquisition Act 2013. Latter, officials kept proposals of land-to-land compensation for us and we accepted it. But the RDO and local officials are delaying the process for months,” said Vagdevi, a plot-owner at Sree Leela Garden venture.
