Visakhapatnam District gears up for land pooling

Once again, the district authorities in Visakhapatnam are gearing up for a land pooling initiative aimed at providing housing for the poor. A preliminary exercise has already been completed, identifying more than 770 acres of land from various villages.To gather public opinion, Grama Sabhas will be conducted at the Panchayat Offices from June 12 to June 18. If any objections arise, the public can lodge them at the Land Protection Cell Deputy Tahsildars' offices before July 4.According to the notification issued for land pooling, a total of 771 acres will be acquired. This includes 401 acres in Anandapuram, 118 acres in Visakha Rural, 116 acres in Padmanabham, and 135 acres in Bheemili. Around 500 acres will be allocated to the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (VMRDA).It is worth mentioning that the government had previously acquired approximately 6,000 acres through land pooling when government-owned land was unavailable for the Housing for the Poor project three years ago. The recent notification, issued by the Deputy Special Collector of Land Acquisition, primarily focuses on pooling lands in Anandapuram Mandal. This includes 72 acres in Mukundapuram, 239 acres in Sontyam, 66 acres in Kusuluvada, as well as other villages. Additionally, government lands in Mukundapuram and Sontyam will be included.The authorities will also acquire lands in Narasapuram and Tunivalasa in Padmanabham Mandal, as well as RY Agraharam, Nerellavalasa, Tallavalasa, Chippada, and Dakamarri villages in Bheemili Mandal. Furthermore, lands in Paradesi Palem and the Sixth Ward (Kommadi) within the GVMC limits in Visakha Rural Mandal will be pooled for the Housing for the Poor project.