Anantapur: A tense situation prevailed at Tadipathri in this district following removal of encroachments at RDT Colony on Monday. MLA Pedda Reddy of the YSRC led the demolition while party state secretary Ramesh Reddy backed the victims.
Heated arguments erupted between the two and additional forces have been posted at the colony to avert violence.
Municipal and revenue authorities in the town had identified some 70 houses built illegally in places where land was sanctioned to beneficiaries during the recent house plot allotments in the RDT area. The civic authorities say they had issued demolition notices against unauthorised constructions but the residents hadn’t responded.
On Monday, a team of revenue and municipal authorities rushed to the spot along with JCBs and started removal of the encroachments.
When 10 out of the 70 houses were demolished, YSRC state secretary rushed the spot and resisted the work as his close aide’s home was also being removed. When the MLA reached the spot, Ramesh Reddy picked an argument with him and blamed the revenue and municipal authorities for having allowed the constructions.
MLA Pedda Reddy explained that unauthorised constructions on the house sites allotted to genuine beneficiaries of the housing scheme need be removed. “The house sites for the poor were occupied by a group of people. All of them will be demolished. Our government’s intention is to provide houses for all eligible people under the Nava Rathnalu,” Pedda Reddy said.
He said genuine beneficiaries need not worry and their houses will not be removed.
The MLA firmly took the stand that unauthorised constructions would be demolished irrespective of the party affiliation of those who occupied these lands.
When Ramesh Reddy sought a day’s time, officials agreed to this and stopped the demolition works. Police rushed to the spot and dispersed the crowd.
