Visakhapatnam: Vuda’s proposed land pooling is expected to be a stormy affair as opposition to the proposal is getting stronger. Political parties are planning to put up a united front on Vuda’s proposal of land pooling in Kommadi, Anandapuram and Pendur-thy, stating this may lead to another scam, as had been the case in the past. Representatives of political parties vowed to stall the land pooling proposed by Vuda, at a round table meet held by CPM on Wednesday. “Earlier, a similar land pooling in Paradesipalem by Vuda had turned into a major scam of '500 crore, which was confirmed in a report by the Vigilance department. This land pooling could also lead to such a scam. Coming under pressure from CMO, local Vuda officials have readied plans for the new round of land pooling which is nothing but grabbing land belonging to poor farmers and marginalised sections and giving them to the mighty and the influential. This should be opposed,” said CPM city secretary B. Ganga Ram.
He also said Vuda had filled the state coffers by selling away most valuable lands in and around Vizag instead of spending the money on development of the city. The state government had recently issued necessary guidelines that will help Vuda speed up its land pooling proposals. The Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority Area Development Land Pooling Scheme (Formulation and Implementation) Rules 2016 have recently been notified. Vuda has been waiting for a new set of rules and guidelines after Vuda was dissolved and a new body — Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Developm-ent Authority (VMDA) — has been formed in the fi-rst quarter of the year, to go ahead with the pooling.
Vuda had decided to pool land in Anandapuram and Kommadi that are part of the new conglomerate coming up on the way to the proposed greenfield international airport at Bhoghapuram and Pendurthy, and wrote to the concerned authorities to notify new rules to go ahead with the land pooling.
