The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Houses will be built at site of demolition: civic official

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 16, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Houses will be built at site of demolition: civic official

Staff Reporter

Commissioner denies pressure to alienate land

VISAKHAPATNAM: Houses will be built on the entire 1.2 acres of land at Siva Sankar Colony at Tatichetlapalem where pucca houses were demolished on Monday.

Answering a barrage of questions on the demolition at a press conference here on Wednesday, the Municipal Commissioner, N. Srikant, said that it was a part of the housing programme just as it was taken up at Chittibabu Colony and other areas and the process for finalising beneficiaries was followed.

A housing colony had been planned in the colony after taking the consent of the beneficiaries as part of the 1,000 houses sanctioned for the city, he said and asserted that the civic authorities had nothing against the residents of the Siva Sankar Washermen's Colony.

He categorically stated that the site was not meant for any other purpose and denied that there was pressure to give 70 cents of the land to an individual. The demolition was taken up after the Housing Board authorities sought it for taking up construction of 270 units.

`Order not received'

``It will also accommodate those living in 45 houses who have been displaced by the 40-ft service road since the District Collector wanted them to be accommodated there itself,'' Mr. Srikant said. The list of the owners of the demolished dwellings and that of beneficiaries in the project was the same, he said. The Revenue Divisional Officer had stated in his report that there were only three pucca houses in the colony paving way for demolition.

The Commissioner said that no court order was received at the time of demolition and it was received at his office on Wednesday only. (It may be recalled that on Monday itself the affected had shown an interim order of the court dated June 9 in spite of which the demolition took place).

The issue of compensation for those who had lost pucca houses since they had borrowed heavily for the purpose would be taken up with the District Collector, he said but was not-committal on whether there would be any inquiry into the demolition or action against those responsible.

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