A contractor of Sainik Nivas reportedly went absconding without paying the rental dues for the cottage allotted to him at Tirumala.
According to sources, the contractor, O. Srinivas Rao was allotted a residential portion in D type quarters by TTD on payment of a monthly rent of ₹1,500 on the recommendation of Colonel G.D.V.P. Raju.
Srinivasa Rao, who checked-into the cottage in February 2006, failed to pay the rental charges and has escaped from the notice of TTD’s panchayat and revenue department officials since then.
It was only after a lapse of eight years that the officials realised this but failed to locate him. Left with no other option, the TTD decided to address official communique to the manager of the Sainik Nivas for the realisation of rental dues along with penalty charges which by then hovered over ₹5 lakh.
It was only after a series of requests by TTD that Battalion Commander Colonel Sanjeev Kumar remitted the principal rental amount of ₹1.56 lakh with a request to waive away the penalty amount of ₹3,68,329.
In accordance to TTD General rules, the Executive Officer has powers to grant waiver in cases where the pending amount is less than ₹2 lakh and anything exceeding the cap be referred to the board of trustees should it be found that the dues are irrecoverable.
The TTD board, which discussed the issue in its last sitting, however resolved to waive away the dues on the recommendations of Financial Advisor and Chief Accounts Officer during the meeting of Estates Committee with a rider that the officials be more careful in the timely collection of rental dues in future.
