Since the formation of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) in 1981, a record of 400 acres of land has been pooled this year for the first time, said its Chairman Dr. C. Divakar Reddy during a press conference on the completion of one year of his term at his office in Tirupati on Thursday.
He said that the TUDA is generating a revenue of ₹400-₹500 crore from the acquired 400 acres. Sharing the achievements of the urban body during the year, he explained, “The coalition government gave a permanent solution to the problem of land victims in Settipalli, which had been pending for almost five decades.”
“As per the orders of the Chief Minister, the government completely waived off the registration fee of about ₹17.50 crore without burdening the poor beneficiaries. Land allocations were made to 1,711 beneficiaries (1,432 house sites, 279 agricultural sites) in a highly transparent manner through the e-DIP lottery system, completed with the registration free of cost,” the TUDA chief said.
He further said that ‘Operation SWARNA (Swarnamukhi Waterbody Action for River and Nala Awareness)’ an anti-encroachment initiative aimed at restoring the 130 km long Swarnamukhi River’ has been undertaken with an aim of protecting the waterbody, and the surrounding areas of the city. We are continuously working to prevent illegal encroachments in the river basin areas.
“Our main goal is to make the temple city free from traffic problems for the city people as well as the pilgrims. As part of this, we are rapidly taking forward the work of constructing the main road and advanced drainage in Upparapalli area at the field level. Also, Telugu Ganga pipeline relocation work and the construction of roads are being done with TUDA funds,” Mr. Reddy said.
“To improve the environment, beautification and development work of Avilala Lake has been expedited, and water flow management is being regulated in coordination with the irrigation department officials. In the coming days, we are simplifying the process of obtaining permits for the establishment of resorts and convention centres to promote tourism in rural areas,” he added.