Suryapet: Residents of Nehru Nagar, near the Saddal Cheruvu irrigation tank in Suryapet town, are feeling tense following a visit by officials to their colony for the marking of houses.Nehru Nagar, comprising 150 houses, is located beside Saddal Cheruvu, which was developed as a mini tank bund by the BRS government. There had been plans to remove all illegal constructions in Nehru Nagar to further develop Saddal Cheruvu as a tourist spot. During his campaign for the Assembly elections, Congress candidate for Suryapet, Ramreddy Damodar Reddy, promised that pattas would be given to the residents of Nehru Nagar if Congress came to power in the state. However, the arrival of officials to mark houses that fall under the Full Tank Level (FTL) and buffer zone has dampened the residents’ hopes. The majority of families in the colony have lived in the area for the past 50 years. People are fearful that their houses might face demolition, similar to the HYDRAA demolitions in other areas. Former minister and Congress MLA from Suryapet, G. Jagadish Reddy, stated that if HYDRAA-like demolitions were carried out in Suryapet town, it would lead to a loss of Rs 1,000 crore. He highlighted that people had constructed houses in the colony with permissions from the municipality and had paid property taxes for years. He emphasised that the FTL and buffer zones of Saddal Cheruvu should be determined scientifically. Reddy also alleged that the Congress government had initiated HYDRAA demolitions to distract people from its failures. District Congress Committee (DCC) president Cheviti Venkanna reassured residents of Nehru Nagar not to panic, stating that the state government had provided rehabilitation to families whose houses were demolished by HYDRAA.
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