District Legal Services Authority and senior civil judge S. Damodar Rao has responded to the plea of a 70-year-old Kostu Appalanarasayya, a resident of Simhachalam in the city, and served notices on District Collector, VUDA Vice-Chairman and Zonal Commissioner of Gajuwaka Municipality for compensation for the land acquired from him about 30 years ago.
VUDA had acquired 190 square yards from Mr. Appalanarasayya in Survey No. 36/3 of Gajuwaka Kanithi Road, for which he has been running from pillar to post for compensation.
The judge responded when Mr. Appalanarasayya approached the DLSA office and narrated his tale of woe.
The judge took up the case and immediately appointed senior advocate Kuppili Muralidhar to pursue it.
The petitioner narrated his grievance to District Collector Pravin Kumar and the latter ordered the tehsildar of Gajuwaka to submit a report. The tahsildar admitted in his report that the land was acquired by the VUDA long ago but no compensation was paid to the petitioner.
Purchased in 1978
As per the complaint, Mr. Appalanarasayya purchased the vacant site in an extent of 240 sq yards in 1978 by way of registered sale deed and wanted to construct a house there but the plan for construction of house was turned down by the erstwhile Gajuwaka Municipality on the ground that the land was acquired by the government for laying the Gajuwaka Kanithi Road.
Out of the 240 square yard, 190 square yards was taken over by VUDA and the remaining 50 square yards was sold to others by the petitioner.
Mr. Muralidhar said the petitioner had been going from pillar to post for compensation of 190 square yards but to no avail. As a last resort the petitioner subsequently knocked the door of DLSA leading to issue of notices to the respondents.