RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: There was high drama and tension for more than three hours when the revenue and police officials tried to lock the Anam Rotary Hall in the heart of the city on Saturday morning and the action was resisted by the leaseholders of the hall with the support of the local MLA.
Urban MRO Posaiah along with his staff and police force went to the Hall at the Y Junction and tried to lock it. Immediately, the secretary and caretaker of the Rotary Club Pattapagalu Venkatrao opposed the move. He complained to city MLA Akula Satyanarayana about the `high-handedness’ of the MRO and sought his help. Immediately, the MLA reached the spot and demanded to see the documents pertaining to the sealing of the building.
Mr. Posaiah showed two notices issued to Mr. Venkatrao. The first one about three months ago and he second one about a week ago under the AP Encroachment Act section 6 and 7 for defaulting on payment of cess for the revenue land. He explained that the Anam Rotary Hall land came under Government Poramboku (GP) and the leaseholders had to pay cess to the Revenue department from the time of the construction of the hall in 1957.
Reacting to this, the MLA called up Sub-Collector Vijaya Krishnan and told her that the leaseholders have been paying taxes to the municipality since 1957 and they did not know that it was revenue land. However, the Sub-Collector was firm on acting against the leaseholders as they did not respond despite being served two notices. After a heated exchange between the two for a while, the MLA told the media that she ‘threatened to book an FIR against him’. The legislator said he would stage a dharna until the issue is settled. He wanted the club authorities to be allowed to pay the entire cess.
When contacted, the Sub-Collector said that they were not throwing them out of their living place and that she had given enough time for them to go to court or seek any other means of dispute resolution. She said she was ready for talks with Rotary people, but she did not have the power to allow them to pay the cess.
