Tirupati is all set to replicate the Amaravati example by going in for land pooling on a large-scale.
In a bid to develop satellite townships at farther places and ensure planned expansion of the city, the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has ambitious plans to take up land pooling to the extent of 2,000 acres in the area under its purview.
The TUDA wields control over 158 villages in nine mandals in and around the temple city, but the idea is to expand further, if need be, to put in place a sustainable development mechanism.
The idea, when materialises, may even include the municipal towns of Puttur and Nagari.
In a free-wheeling chat with The Hindu , G. Narasimha Yadav, who recently took over the reins of TUDA as its Chairman, listed out his plans for a clean, green and safe Tirupati. Apart from the government land, the TUDA plans to pool huge chunks from individuals, develop them and allot a fixed portion, thus turning ‘benefactors into beneficiaries.’
The remaining portion will be developed into layouts and the plots auctioned to public.
The last time that a housing colony was planned for Tirupati was in the early nineties at the Congress plenary site in Avilala, which however remained a non-starter.
The present attempt, coming after three decades, will be a dream come true for many homeless residents. “We will earmark a certain percentage of houses to the poor and middle classes to make housing affordable, while the remaining will be put on open auction,” Mr. Yadav said.
He admitted that the fund-starved regulatory body had no other option but to go for land pooling to offer housing at a cheaper rate.
Decongesting the city
The TUDA will soon focus on developing 60-foot master plan roads, which so far remained on paper for a decade. Guruva Reddy Samadhi Road and Chintalachenu Road, the two parallel roads running perpendicular to the Sri Krishna Devaraya Road leading to Tirumala, would be connected and extended up to Mangalam.
This not only insulates the residents from the floating crowd, but also provides the latter an easy exit out of the city.
The TUDA might also consider reviving the now-shelved flyover from Tiruchanur Road to Alipiri, which would provide an exclusive corridor to the Tirumala-bound pilgrims.
