Andhra Pradesh to allocate house sites to HC judges in Amravati

The state government has decided to allocate house sites to high court judges, All India Service (AIS) officers and gazzetted officers in the capital city, Amaravati. The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) has been directed to spare 238 acres of land for allocation of house sites. The decision has been taken at the Group of Ministers (GoM) on allocation of lands in the capital city area here on Thursday. Finance minister YanamalaRamakrishnudu, municipal administration minister Dr P Narayana, social welfare minister NakkaAnandBabu discussed the proposals put forwarded by the officials. Speaking to the media, municipal administration minister Dr Narayana said that 750 sq.yards of land would be allocated to each judge at a price of Rs 5000 per sq.yard. He said that All India Service (AIS) including IAS and IPS would get 500 sq.yards of land at Rs 5000 per.sq.yard. The gazetted officers working in the capital city would get 200 sq.yard of land at Rs 4500 per sq.yard. The non-gazetted officers working in Amaravati would get 175 sq.yards of land at Rs 4000 per sq.yard. “We have asked the CRDA to spare 238 acres of land for the allocation to the judges and officials,” said Narayana. Interestingly, the state government is already constructing official residential quarters to IAS, IPS officers and other officials working in the capital city. The government had also proposed to construct permanent bungalows for judges of high court in Amaravati. These bungalows and quarters would be allocated to the serving officials. The government had decided to spare the land to the judges, officials and employees with a view to make them settle down right in the capital city. The Supreme Court had struck down the allocation of house-sites to the judges in Hyderabad about a decade ago. It is not clear whether the members of GoM or officials took the consent from the high court before deciding to grant house sites to the judges. CRDA principal secretary Ajay Jain, CRDA commissioner Dr CherukuriSreedhar, finance secretary Piyush Kumar and other senior officials were present at the GoM meeting.