Activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) town committee staged a dharna here on Tuesday opposing the State government’s reported move to shift the Collectorate to a site near V. Venkatayapalem village, quite away from the town, on the Wyra Road in Raghunadhapalem mandal.
The party cadre staged a demonstration at the Dharna Chowk here demanding the Government immediate stalling of the move to avoid inconvenience to the public.
Party district secretary P. Venkateshwara Rao and others addressed the demonstrators.
ADVERTISEMENT
The CPI (M) leaders alleged that the irrational move to shift the Collectorate to a place situated about 10 km away from the railway station would only benefit some realtors and cause severe inconvenience to people particularly those coming from rural areas to the hub of the district.
They contended that the Government should instead consider the centrally-located NSP vacant lands for construction of the new Collectorate building.
Meanwhile, in a statement the CPI district secretary B. Hemantha Rao alleged that the move to shift the Collectorate quite away from the town was intended to benefit some persons possessing large tracts of lands at the proposed site near V. Venkatayapalem.
ADVERTISEMENT
The move entails purchase of several acres of private lands posing enormous burden on the State exchequer, he alleged, maintaining that the existing Collectorate building was ideally located in the heart of the town quite accessible to people.
“If the Government is keen on constructing a new Collectorate building, it should utilise the land available at the existing Collectorate complex or the spacious NSP vacant lands in the prime locality of the town,” he suggested.
“The elected representatives concerned of the ruling TRS owe an explanation to the people of the district on the rationale behind the arbitrary move,” he said and warned of an intensive agitation if the Government failed to drop the proposal.