ANANTAPUR: A middle class Anantapur resident Sharma had purchased two plots in a venture on city out skirts in 2016 as investment for performing the wedding of his daughter. But he was shocked when Anantapuram Hindupur Urban Development Authority (AHUDA) rejected his application under LRS (Layout Regularisation Scheme).
The irony is that these plots had been registered by the Anantapur sub-registrar office five years ago. It is not that only Sharma has been cheated. There are 80 others in the venture promoted by a Kurnool-based realtor on outskirts of Anantapur. When the victims questioned the Kurnool realtor, he simply advised them to approach court for claiming compensation.
There are a large number of such unauthorised layouts within the AHUDA jurisdiction in Anantapur, Dharmavaram, Penukonda and Hindupur areas.
Hundreds of middle class sections have got cheated by realtors, who have the backing of several political leaders. Some of these leaders even inaugurated the layouts to convince people into buying plots.
These realtors had actually tricked people into buying plots in ventures they had deliberately chosen within limits of gram panchayats. Had they been in municipal limits, there would have been stricter checks and people would have known that the plotting is illegal.
An investor broke into tears saying he had invested his hard-earned Rs 8 lakh on purchasing the plots. But realtors are not responding to his woes now.
However, many unauthorised ventures are still springing up in Dharmavaram and Penukonda areas in view of rising land prices due to KIA Motors and its ancillary units coming up along National Highway 44.
