New lands identified for Jagananna housing scheme

ONGOLE: At least 25,000 people are eligible for the Jagananna housing scheme in the Ongole Municipal Corporation (OMC) limits in Prakasam district, according to government officials. The authorities had identified around 600 acres of government land at Yarajarla hill site. The officials even made arrangements, such as layout development works worth crores to allot house sites to the beneficiaries last year. However, several local residents refused availing the urban housing scheme.

They even knocked the High Court’s door claiming that the same land was earlier leased for mining. These lands were allegedly not de-notified by the government. In this connection, the High Court had ordered a status quo on the acquisition of Yarajarla hill area land for the urban housing scheme. As the matter is still in the court, the district authorities are in search of other suitable government or private lands in order to execute the urban housing scheme.   

In this connection, the district authorities are identifying vacant lands in and around Ongole to provide 25,000 houses. Recently, the district collector AS Dinesh Kumar along with the Joint Collector Abhishikth Kishore, RDO and other officials visited Alluru, Malleswara Puram, N Agraharam, Karavadi, Cheruvukommu Palem, Vengamukka Palem and Survey Reddypalem villages situated in Kothapatnam and Ongole mandal limits. The district collector inspected the government lands available in the villages and inquired about the lands with their survey numbers.  

The officials identified around 100 acres in N Agraharam village limits, 300 acres in MalleswaraPuram, 100 acres in Alluru, 96 .27 acres in VengamukkaPalem, and around 100 acres in CheruvukommuPalem- Yarajarla-Surveyreddi palem village limits. Further, on the directions of the District Collector, the revenue authorities are preparing land maps with the survey numbers and owners details.