To curb the mushrooming of illegal layouts in the four districts within the jurisdiction of Viskahapatnam Urban Development Authority and protect the interests of the investor, the VUDA started taking punitive action against illegal layouts.
With a view to take stock of the ground realities HRD Minister Ganta Srinivas Rao along with MLAs from the City reviewed the VUDA work here on Tuesday.
After the review the Minister directed District Collector N. Yuvaraj to depute Revenue officials to support the VUDA team clearing the constructions on illegal layouts. VUDA has identified 313 such layouts, Vice Chairman T Baburao Naidu said.
The Minister told reporters that steps would be taken to safeguard the interests of those who invested money in the layout and regularisation would be taken up.
During the review, District Collector N. Yuvaraj said in the layouts approach roads were passing through government land and a proposal to allot it on collection of market rate was pending with the government.
The issue of LRS would be taken up with the government as 6,300 applications were pending, the minister said.
A delegation would represent to the Central Government to waive the Rs.153 crore Income Tax levied on VUDA for providing Rs.1200 crore as budgetary support to the State Government by auctioning lands here, he said.
The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Development Authority Bill would be introduced in the Assembly session paving the way to bring the Act on it, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said. The Chief Minister would be Chairman of the authority.
PCPIR on hold
The public hearing on the proposed PCPIR in 10 mandals of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts had been postponed and the proposal was put on hold as owing to misgivings among people on land to be acquired, pollution etc.
Responding to MLA PGVR Naidu, Mr. Srinivasa Rao asked VUDA officials to take up modernisation of the skating rink at VUDA Park in time for an international event in May.
MLAs Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy, V. Ramakrishna Babu, Vasupalli Ganesh Kumar, Palla Srinivasa Rao, Peela Govinda Satyanarayana, P. Ramesbabu and V. Anitha participated.
