VIJAYAWADA: Government advisor (Public Affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Monday said action would be initiated against the officials and employees who were misleading people on One Time Settlement (OTS) under Jagananna Sampoorna Gruha Hakku scheme.
He asserted that the OTS scheme is totally voluntary and there is no coercion or persuasion to avail the scheme. It is an unprecedented initiative aimed at benefiting lakhs of poor people in the State by providing them legal rights on their properties, he said.
“The scheme is meant to benefit the poor by waiving their loans through one-time settlement and having their properties registered for free. It is unfortunate that the Leader of Opposition is urging people not to cooperate in the implementation of such a good scheme,” the YSRC leader said.
In another press conference, Municipal Administration Minister Botcha Satyanarayana described Naidu’s allegations as baseless. He said the people can have full rights on their house by paying a nominal amount of Rs 10,000 in villages, Rs 15,000 in municipalities and Rs 20,000 in corporations. The state government usually charges seven per cent as registration fee, but it is free under the OTS scheme.
The minister slammed Naidu for not registering the houses to the poor for free during his tenure and making promises that he would give houses for free once the TDP comes to power. The minister said Naidu claimed that he has introduced shear wall technology and questioned why he didn’t construct houses within six months as promised.
On TIDCO houses, the minister said houses of area 300 sq ft will be given for free to the poor and 90,000 houses would be made available in three months and arrangements are being made to give 365 sq ft and 430 sq ft houses.