Visakhapatnam: 'Pancha gramalu', Ukku stir can tilt balance

Visakhapatnam: The long-pending land issue of 'pancha gramalu' (five villages) played a key role in the last municipal elections. This time, along with the contentious 'pancha gramalu' issue of Simhachalam Devasthanam lands, the ongoing 'Ukku stir' will have an impact on the ensuing polls. Whenever the exercise for municipal elections commences, Simhachalam temple land dispute grabs the limelight. The contentious issue of 'Pancha Gramalu' lands has been hanging fire for the last 25 years.

In 1996, then Pendurthi and Visakha rural tehsildars issued ryotwari pattas for 12,000 acres stating that the land belonged to Sri Varalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam at Simhachalam. When some people went to the High Court, they got relief. The issue is pending in the High Court. All the previous attempts have failed to break the ice. The previous TDP government had issued a GO on regularisation of the lands, but it was caught in a legal battle. During his 'pada yatra', Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy vowed to resolve the dispute of five villages as soon as he came to power.

After coming to power YSRCP government constituted a high-power committee headed by the Endowments Minister to solve the issue. Later, the government expanded the committee by including MPs Vijay Sai Reddy and B Satyavati.

Apart from the Simhachalam land issue, the Ukku stir is likely to determine the success of the ward candidates in the elections scheduled on March 10.

As the employees of the VSP are spread across the district, they are going to essay a significant role in determining the success of the political parties.

Meanwhile, the TDP as well as the YSRCP are trying to tweak the Ukku stir favourable to make their presence felt in the wards. However, people are still not clear as to whether the government would really be able to stall the moves of the Centre to privatise Steel factory. They are also in a state of confusion over the role of state BJP since the state president in his recent statement said that the political parties were raising hue and cry even though no notification for privatisation has been issued. Only a couple of days back, they claimed that they went to New Delhi and submitted a memorandum consisting of alternative suggestions to see that the steel plant was not privatised.