Kakinada villagers grill officials over housing infra, allotments

KAKINADA: Villagers of Kakinada District on Saturday grilled officials for not developing infrastructure facilities under the state’s housing scheme and for not releasing related timelines.

The villagers threatened to lock up the officials till all the details were furnished.

The row broke out during a 'Jagananna Suraksha' programme in Nagulapalli village, U.Kothapalli mandal. The programme was chaired by YSRC village sarpanch Vadisetty Gowri Rajeswari. Mandal parishad development officer (MPDO) Abraham Linkon was also in attendance.

When villagers raised questions about their house sites, the sarpanch’s husband V. Narayana Reddy said over 600 people were selected as beneficiaries under the scheme and that land for it had also been acquired.

However, he pointed out that the government did not show the sites to the beneficiaries and did not create any infrastructure facilities, which are needed to start construction of the houses.

The beneficiaries demanded to know when they would get the houses and when will the infrastructure works be completed. They said the officials will not be allowed to leave the area till these questions were answered.

The villagers were placated after the MPDO promised their queries would be sorted out before July 25.

The villagers further requested that levelling of the housing sites for creation of infrastructure facilities be expedited.