Andhra Pradesh: Guntur IRR final-phase work to begin shortly

GUNTUR: In what could be a big relief from the traffic woes in the city, Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has agreed to put the construction of Inner Ring Road final phase on the fast track. After finalizing the designs of the final stretch, the CRDA sought the cooperation of the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) officials in evacuating the encroachers to begin the work. CRDA will be spending close to Rs 33 crore to construct the phase-III of the IRR.

Completion of final phase of IRR is crucial to connect the capital city area with the industrial belt of palnadu region in shortest mode. The cement laden lorries coming from Gurazala and Macherla constituencies could directly reach the capital city Amaravati area without entering Guntur city once the IRR is completed.

In fact, CRDA had already identified that it would require about seven acres of private land along the 4.21 km long stretch. Along with the local revenue and GMC officials, CRDA officials held negotiations with the land owners and also encroachers. While 75 percent of the land owners have agreed to give up the land in return of the issuance of Transferable Development Rights (TDR), remaining land owners are said to be insisting for payment of compensation in case. In addition to the seven acres of private patta land, the CRDA identified that there are about 122 houses in the encroached land which needed to be evacuated for taking up the works.

Following the advice of the local MP Galla Jayadev, GMC commissioner Shriekesh B Lathkar has assured the dwellers to grant pucca houses in the upcoming NTR housing colony in Adavitakkellapadu located close to the IRR. However, only 82 of the 122 house owners have agreed to move into the NTR housing colony making it tough for the GMC to remove the remaining houses.

GMC commissioner Shriekesh had decided to make a field visit to the area to once again negotiate with the owners of the houses that have been illegally built in the encroached government land. “All these houses were actually encroachments and illegal. However, GMC had decided to allocate pucca houses all of them keeping in view of their poverty. GMC will be left with no option but to forcibly bulldoze and move them out if they continue to resist to evacuate,” said a planning official in GMC.