Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

VUDA cancels auction of bulk lands

— Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

UP IN ARMS: TDP and BJP activists protesting against bulk auction of lands by VUDA in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Protest by the Telugu Desam and the Bharatiya Janata Party led to abrupt cancellation of auction of bulk lands by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority on Sunday.

The VUDA officials and the police were taken by surprise when the activists from the two parties barged into VUDA children theatre, the venue of auction and raised slogans against VUDA for indulging in real estate business. The police later rushed forces led by CIs V. Bhima Rao, A. Narasimha Murthy, Vimala Kumari and A.Vivekananda and arrested the activists led by Zaheer Ahmad, V. Ramakrishna Babu, Mutyala Naidu, Pothanna Reddy of TDP and Rama Kotaiah, T. Subbarami Reddy, J. Pruthviraj, P.V. Narayana Rao and Vegi Mahesh of BJP were arrested and released later on personal bail. The VUDA had fixed an upset price of around Rs.250 crores for nearly 60 acres. While the upset price for Rushikonda was fixed at Rs.5 crores an acre, it was Rs.4 crores an acre for Madhurawada and Kapulauppada.

The CPI (M) later staged a rasta roko at Jagadamba junction and burnt the effigy of VUDA. The CPI activists organized a dharna at Madhurawada decrying VUDA’s policy to auction lands and discontinuing allotment of sites and houses through lottery. Of the five plots slated for auction on Sunday, 20 acres had no takers due to various reasons during the auction conducted last time. The largest two sites admeasured 30 and 20 acres.

“The VUDA was scheduled to begin the auction proceedings at 10.30 a.m. but the protesters laid siege to the venue 15 minutes before,” an official said.

The High Court had recently stayed the auction of bulk lands in Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad by AP Housing Board.

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