The report of an official committee that went into the land issue involving residents in five villages and Simhachalam Devastham should be shared with people's representatives before a decision is taken on the long-pending problem, MLC from North Andhra Graduates Constituency M.V.S. Sarma has said.
Only after taking people's representatives into confidence the final report should be placed before the Chief Minister and until then it is not a fait accompli, he told reporters here on Monday.
The committee comprising Endowments officials was constituted during the tenure of K. Rosaiah as Chief Minister. The Floor Leader of PDF in the Legislative Council said he had met the Chief Minister on November 11 after having discussions with officials in Endowments and Law Department and those in the Chief Minister's Peshi and explained the situation to him. The issue figured several times at the District Review Committee meeting and in spite of directions to Endowments officials, notices were being issued to those whose claims were to be decided by the Special Deputy Tehsildar (Inams) following a direction by the Appellate Authority, the RDO, in 2010.
Mr. Sarma said the Simhachalam Devasthanam had filed a writ petition against the order of the RDO and obtained an interim suspension of the orders. That the matter was sub judice should be taken into account while deciding on the report of the committee constituted by the Endowments departments.
Stating that about 30,000 houses of the poor and middle class were involved in the dispute for more than 11 years, Mr. Sarma opposed any proposal to collect market rate from them and warned of a strong resistance in which he himself would participate.
