Illegal layouts on the rise in Asifabad

Panchayat officials said certain developers were not converting agricultural lands into commercial ones in order to evade a tax under the Non-agriculture Lands Assessment Act (NALA), causing losses to the government.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Officials of the Panchayat department have identified 12 unauthorised layouts that have come up on the peripherals and in rural parts of Kaghaznagar mandal centre recently.

In order to crack a whip against errant developers of real estate ventures, authorities of the Panchayat department carried out a survey a few months back. They found at least a dozen unauthorised layouts around Kaghaznagar mandal centre and in surrounding villages such as Buradagudem, Nagampet, NGOs colony and Vanjari alone.

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The layouts were being reportedly developed not only on the edges of Kaghaznagar mandal headquarters, but also in lands belonging to the Sirsilk textile mill, a closed unit of Cement Corporation of India and private lands in different parts of the town as well. Except for three approved layouts, the remaining ventures are unauthorised ones under jurisdiction of Kaghaznagar municipality, according to officials.

Panchayat officials said certain developers were not converting agricultural lands into commercial ones in order to evade a tax under the Non-agriculture Lands Assessment Act (NALA), causing losses to the government. Besides, the developers were not providing mandatory facilities such as 30-feet wide roads, parks, side drains, electricity, etc., in the ventures, duping buyers.

Meanwhile, the unauthorised layouts are of late coming up on the outskirts of Rebbena mandal centre, in Goleti village in Rebbena mandal, Wankidi and Asifabad district headquarters, following the development of the Mancherial-Chandrapur national highway. They can easily be spotted on either side of the road network from Rebbena mandal centre to Asifabad town. However, officials respond only when someone lodges a complaint against the developers.

It is learnt that the developers are focusing on Kumram Bheem Asifabad district, considering affordable prices of lands and better road and rail connectivity. They are able to sell the properties by recruiting agents and by offering somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of commission.

When asked, District Panchayat Officer Bikshapati said steps were being taken to control the illegal layouts in the district. Notices were being served on the developers who flout norms, he said, also asking the public to bring unauthorised layouts to the notice of the officials to take action against errant realtors.