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VMC puts squatters on notice

Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA: Notwithstanding the protests in the past by Opposition parties, especially Left, against the move to shift dwellers of Krishna riverbank to far off places, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation on Wednesday once again initiated the process by asking people living in the riverbed and on the riverbank to submit their applications for housing under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission and Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana.

VMC Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar said in a statement that people who had been living in the riverbed and on the riverbank downstream Prakasam Barrage by way of occupying it, would have to move out before the arrival of monsoon.

Preference would be given to those who applied for houses immediately. The houses being constructed under JNNURM at Rajarajeswaripeta and Vambay Colony would be allotted to the applicants on `first-come-first-serve' basis, he said, adding latecomers would have to move to even farther places.

Mr. Gulzar said VMC would not organise any rehabilitation camp this year for those who would be affected by a flood of below 5 lakh cusecs capacity in the monsoon. No relief would be provided if the illegal occupants continued to live in the riverbed and on the riverbank.

The Commissioner said the entire exercise of evacuating the dwellers of riverbed and riverbank during floods, putting them up in relief camps was placing a heavy financial burden on the VMC.

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