AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh High Court orders, rendered on Friday to immediately halt construction of houses has caused widespread fear among the poor beneficiaries in the State. The construction of houses under the Housing for All is a part of the Navaratnalu flagship scheme of the AP Government.

Ever since the verdict was announced, there has been intense deliberation among the poorer sections of the State about the fate of their homes which are halfway through construction. The government has allotted plots to 621 poor people in layout-1 spread over 13.5 acres in Vanukuru village in Penamaluru mandal of Krishna district. The foundation stone ceremonies for the houses were completed after the scheme was launched. The cost of each cent in the vicinity of this layout is over Rs 4 lakh. With the government giving away such valuable land for free and giving Rs 1.80 lakh per unit for construction, the poor were building houses and realizing the dream of owning a house come true. But for the past two days, they are worried about their fate and whether they would be able to fulfil this dream in the wake of the High Court order.

Thene Gangadhar a tenant farmer from this region and his brother who had no house of their own, were living in a rented house for the past three decades. Gangadhar who has two children had the burden of educating them and was making efforts to build a house through his meagre income earned through farming. With the Pedalandariki Illu (Housing for All) scheme promulgated by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, their dreams came true. Both Gangadhar and his brother applied for the scheme through their spouses. They were allotted land and house as per the scheme and they laid the foundation stone for their homes in layout-1 in Vanukuru village. However, when they saw the news of the AP High Court orders stalling the construction of the housing scheme, it led to fear whether he would ever be able to build his house. Not just Gangadhar there are lakhs of beneficiaries across the State who are worried about their fate and whether they would be able to complete the construction of their houses.

Media Advisor to the AP Government, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said that there are over 30 lakh people who have no houses of their own. Speaking to the media on Monday from the Party office at Tadepalli, he said that the Chief Minister under the Housing scheme has endeavoured to provide houses for them, but there are a few political parties who are creating obstacles to stall this scheme. The High Court verdict has watered down the hopes of millions of people who dreamed of owning a house. A number of beneficiaries are worried about the High Court orders. Some of those who are said to have filed the petition say that they have nothing to do with the petition " The Opposition TDP is unnecessarily filing cases and burdening the courts which are already overworked, only for their selfish interests. But we have faith in the judiciary and expect a judgement in our favour by the division bench," Sajjala stated.

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