The city unit of the CPI strongly objected to the State government’s move to collect market value of land while issuing pattas to the people living on hill slopes.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, CPI city secretary K. Subba Raju said that the below poverty line (BPL) families, according to GO 166, need not pay any amount for the land if the government issued pattas. But, the revenue officials were issuing notices to the people living on hilly areas asking them to pay market value though they belonged to BPL category. The Government should issue pattas free of cost or charge only nominal cost for allotting a land of 80 sq. yards, he demanded, adding that the present decision was against the existing practice of issuing pattas.
The government, Mr. Subba Raju said, was handing over costly lands to corporate institutions and private people at throwaway prices. But, the land rates fixed for the poor were not within their reach. Mr. Subba Raju said that for instance K. Padma, a resident of hill slopes in Moghalrajpuram area, was asked to pay Rs. 3,190 per sq. yard, which meant that she would have to pay Rs. 75,000 for her 36-sq. yard land. But she was not in a position to pool in such a huge amount.
