HC directs Jagan govt not to give away school, univ lands

The Andhra Pradesh government has once again received a set back in the High Court on the distribution of house sites to the poor.

Hearing a batch of petitions, the High Court in Tuesday directed the state government to halt distribution of government lands allotted for schools, colleges and universities to fulfill the Chief Minsiter’s welfare scheme.

Deputy chief minister Narayana Swamy had recently found fault with the court verdicts stating that the HC had been creating hurdles in the welfare schemes of the Jagan government.Tuesday “It is not correct for the courts to stall distribution of house sites to the poor,” he had said as the State government had prepared the ground to give away 26.6 lakh house site pattas (registration forms) to the poor.

The houses in the plots, which would be in 14,097 YSR Jagananna housing colonies, would be built over the next four years.

For instance, the Jagan government has prepared grounds to strip the prestigious Telugu University of its lands for the Pedalandariki Illu scheme. The university was set up by former chief minister and doyen of Telugu cinema N T Ramarao in 1989 in an endeavour to promote Telugu language and culture. The university has three campuses at Rajahmundry, Srisailam and Hyderabad.

The Rajahmundry campus was allotted 45 acres and now the Collector issued orders to take back 20 acres for the housing program which goes against the spirit of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014. The university is not yet bifurcated. It is a common property of two Telugu states.

The government is going to spend a whopping Rs 90,000 crore to implement housing for all scheme in the state. Postponed the launch of chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy’s andariki Illu (houses for the poor) scheduled for July 8.

The launch had been twice aborted previously and was finally fixed for July 8 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, former chief minister and Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father. However, it had to be put off again. Sources said the government has not got any relief from the Supreme Court so far on a special leave petition seeking suspension of an interim stay granted by the AP High Court against a Government Order pertaining to the scheme.