VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena activists and supporters on Tuesday staged a protest at Alankar Centre here demanding that the State government allow registration of houses on hillocks in the city, which were issued pattas long back.
Speaking to Express, Jana Sena activist and BC Welfare Organisation state leader P Venkata Mahesh said they took up the cause of the poor living on the hills, as the people were falling prey to private money lenders in the absence of registrations.
“If their houses were registered, they are entitled to get bank loans. As their houses are not registered, banks are not coming forward to give them loans. To get the loans for various purposes, they pledge those pattas with money lenders, who threaten to take away those houses if the loans on the high interest they have given are not repaid,“ he said.
Mahesh said they want the words ‘Konda Poramboku’ and ‘Assigned’ to be removed from the pattas issued to them. “Pattas should be given to those who were not given,” he demanded and wondered why can’t the government allow registrations of these houses when it was ready to regularise lands that were encroached even recently. Most of the people on the hillocks have pattas, he stressed.
Meanwhile, the Government Junior College Grounds in Anantapur will be the venue for the proposed meeting of Jana Sena chief and film star Pawan Kalyan on November 10. A request to use the college grounds was made by the party treasurer M Raghavaiah to the college principal on Tuesday.
The party activists seem to be gearing up with their matinee idol taking an active political role. But, it is not clear if the party activists are taking up the protests on their own or on the directions of the actor from Hyderabad. Hitherto, Pawan had not shown any interest in organising the party properly across the State.
Except for special appearances now and then and speaking out on the issue of special category status and the Tondurru mega food park row, he has not come out actively in the political arena.