Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy Assures Sites, Houses to Bhoodan Land Evictees in Khammam
“The BRS leaders are now raising a hue and cry on demolition of illegal constructions. Why did they not issue pattas to the residents of Vinoba Navodaya Colony during their 10-year rule,” Srinivas Reddy asked.
Nalgonda: Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday announced that house sites and Indiramma houses will be sanctioned to the eligible families evicted from the Vinoba Navodaya Bhoodan Colony at Velugumatla in Khammam.
Along with Khammam district collector Anudeep Durishetti and city police commissioner Sunil Shetti, the minister addressed a media conference on demolition of houses constructed on Bhoodan lands at Velugumatla. Srinivas Reddy presented some of the affected families, who told media that they paid money to some people in the area before constructing their houses on the Bhoodan land.
The minister recalled that during the BRS government’s rule in September 2023, officials had demolished houses constructed on Bhoodan lands in the same Velugumatla area.
“The BRS leaders are now raising a hue and cry on demolition of illegal constructions. Why did they not issue pattas to the residents of Vinoba Navodaya Colony during their 10-year rule,” Srinivas Reddy asked.
He expressed his anger at a newspaper owned by the opposition party and some YouTube channels for misinterpreting his statements on Velugumatla issue. “People know the credibility of these media houses,” he maintained.
The minister acknowledged that majority of the families evicted from the Bhoodan Colony are poor. They had paid between ₹3–₹7 lakh to some land sharks before constructing their houses. The same people even collected money for supplying drinking water through tankers.
Srinivas Reddy disclosed that when revenue officials made inquiries at the Vinobha Navodaya Bhoodan Colony, they found that about half of the 760 families residing in the houses belong to other districts.
The minister asserted that land will be identified within two to three days for allocation of house plots to eligible families evicted from the Bhoodan colony. Indiramma houses will also be sanctioned to the eligible families within 15 days. He went on to announce that an Anganwadi centre and a government school will be set up near the houses / sites sanctioned.
Rama Devi, who had been evicted before her house got demolished in the Bhoodan Colony, said a person Rama Chandram collected ₹3 lakh from her family before allowing them to construct their house.
