201 Pulladigunta Families To Get Ownership Rights

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has cleared the way for granting ownership rights to 201 families in Pulladigunta village of Guntur district by removing their house sites from the prohibited land list, ending a dispute that had persisted for nearly a century.

Revenue, registration and stamps minister Anagani Satya Prasad said the coalition government was committed to resolving long-pending revenue disputes affecting entire communities.

Pulladigunta, a hamlet of Karnepadu revenue village in Vatticherukuru mandal, had been classified as Thopu Poramboke land despite residents living there for more than 100 years, paying property tax, electricity charges and exercising their voting rights.

Following representations from villagers and a Gram Panchayat resolution, the minister took up the issue with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. A resurvey found that 8.51 acres comprised residential houses, internal roads, a government Urdu school, a Ramalayam and a mosque. Another 1.27 acres of vacant land will continue to remain government property.

Based on the recommendations of district officials, the State Cabinet approved the removal of the 8.51 acres from the prohibited list. Government orders are expected to be issued within the next two days.

The minister said the government had earlier resolved similar long-pending land disputes in Shettipalli, Vatticherukuru and Kungundi villages, restoring property rights to thousands of residents. He said similar relief would be extended to more villages facing collective revenue disputes.