GUNTUR: As Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is scheduled to distribute house site pattas in the R-5 Zone of the capital region on May 18, officials have expedited the arrangements for the same. In October 2022, the government issued a gazette notification to establish a special zone in the villages of Mandadam, Ainavolu, Mangalagiri, Krishnayapalem, Nidamarru, and Kuragallu under the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) limits.
Over 50,000 beneficiaries from Guntur and Vijayawada areas were allotted plots in 1,134 acres under the R5 Zone. While 550 acres were earmarked in the Guntur district, 584 acres were allocated for beneficiaries in the NTR district.
However, farmers who had given their lands for the establishment of Amaravati opposed the government’s decision, stating that it would be a huge setback for the development of the capital. They contested the establishment of the R-5 Zone in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and sought a stay on the allotment of house sites to the landless poor from areas outside the capital city.
After the HC dismissed their petition, officials resumed work in the region. Jungle clearance works were finished in all 20 layouts. Construction works for internal roads, levelling, plot marking, and stone plantation have been expedited. Besides, a special wing has been set up at the Guntur Collectorate to ready the pattas. Printing of pattas in the names of the beneficiaries has been done. The district administration has formed as many as 58 teams to carry out the work.