HYDERABAD: Chitrapuri Colony was primarily envisioned as a home for the Telugu film industry workers. The allocation of flats, however, has seen numerous irregularities with the apartments being sold to persons who were not part of the industry. Located close to the IT corridor in Manikonda, the apartments at Chitrapuri were sold out to individuals like hotcakes, while neglecting the actual beneficiaries.
In fact, out of the 4,200 flats, less than 20 per cent are occupied by film industry workers, pointing towards the obvious corruption in the allocation of houses.
At present, there are 24 unions of workers in the Telugu Film Industry. They allege that the Telugu Cine Workers Cooperative Housing Society (TCWCS) has been illegally selling the flats to persons who were not working for the film industry. The union members will organise a rally today from the Film Chamber to Chitrapuri Colony, demanding a judicial inquiry into the matter.
The erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government had allocated 66 acres of land at a nominal cost to the TCWCS for the construction of permanent houses to its workers. The society has submitted bylaws for the construction of buildings including the eligibility criteria for the allocation single, double, three bedroom houses and duplexes to workers to the government. Its copy, accessed by Express, mentions that the flats must be only be sold to members who are working in the industry, and no one else.
When contacted, the Cinematography and Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said that even though the society did not come under the Cinematography Department, the government will inquire into the issue. “We will ensure that flats in Chitrapuri colony are allocated to eligible beneficiaries. The union workers can file a complaint with the Revenue and Housing Department.”
Speaking to Express, one of the Telugu Film Industry Driver’s Union ex-secretaries, B Narasimha Reddy, alleged that several elected representatives of the society, with the support of the ruling party leaders and Tollywood bigshots, were selling the flats at a profit individuals who were not part of the industry.
He said: “The members of the society are creating fake identities for buyers and enabling them to get memberships in workers’ unions. In this regard, the 24 unions have planned to rally under the banner, ‘Maa bhoomi, maa illu and maa hakku’.” TCWCS members refused to comment on the issue.