VISAKHAPATNAM: Nearly three years after houses were demolished for the BRTS road widening project between Simhachalam Tolipavancha and Adivivaram Junction, more than 100 affected families are still awaiting compensation and Transferable Development Rights (TDRs), prompting residents to submit a fresh representation to Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao.
Led by former Adivivaram Sarpanch Peserla Prasad, a delegation of affected residents met the MLA and sought his intervention in resolving pending compensation, TDR-related issues and rehabilitation demands arising from the November 18, 2023 demolitions.
According to the representation, a total of 268 land losers were affected by the road widening project undertaken through the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC). While 210 beneficiaries were initially issued TDRs, 58 others are yet to receive them.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Prasad alleged that the demolitions were carried out without prior intimation to many affected residents. “On November 18, 2023, properties were demolished without giving adequate notice to the affected families. The government promised TDRs and compensation, but many people are still waiting for relief,” he said.
Prasad said the issue became more complicated after the TDRs issued to beneficiaries were allegedly rendered non-transferable in March 2024, preventing recipients from selling or utilising them.
Following representations to the government and intervention by local leaders, the sale option was restored for many beneficiaries. However, after complaints alleging irregularities, an inquiry was ordered. Subsequent inspections reportedly resulted in sale permissions being granted to 155 beneficiaries, while around 50 cases remained pending due to deficiencies identified during the scrutiny process.
Combined with the 58 beneficiaries who never received TDRs, around 108 families continue to await resolution of TDR-related grievances, according to Prasad. The representation submitted to the MLA also alleges that during the road widening exercise, authorities acquired larger extents of land than originally marked and compensated, leaving several families uncompensated for excess land loss. Residents further claimed that structural compensation cheques promised to affected property owners have not been released in several cases.
The affected families have sought the immediate release of all pending TDRs, clearance of sale-option cases, correction of alleged land measurement errors, payment of pending structural compensation and allotment of alternative house sites to vulnerable residents who lost more than half of their residential plots.
Residents have also demanded an inquiry into the manner in which the demolitions were carried out.
The prolonged delay in compensation and rehabilitation has had a particularly severe impact on traditional potter families in Adivivaram. Several artisans say the road widening left them without sufficient space to store clay, operate kilns or manufacture earthen diyas, disrupting a craft that has been practised by their families for generations.
Apart from potters, affected residents include flower vendors, coconut sellers, auto-rickshaw drivers, hotel workers and other economically weaker sections.
“The previous government said sites would be provided, but they were never allotted. Even today, many families remain unable to build houses. Some have entered into arrangements with private developers because they do not have the money to construct homes on their own,” Prasad said.
According to Prasad, MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao assured the delegation that the issue would be taken up with MA&UD Minister P Narayana and that a meeting of affected residents would be convened.
