The Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) has started developing three more MIG layouts in the combined Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts. The urban development authority issued a notification, inviting applications, for six MIG layouts in the first half of 2022.
While some of these six layouts witnessed good response, there were only a few applicants for the remaining layouts. The VMRDA had to slash the price of the plots in its Palavalasa layout due to the poor response. The per square yard price was reduced to ₹14,500 from the earlier fixed ₹18,000 in the Palavalasa layout located near Anandapuram in Vizag suburbs.
While the lottery process is undergoing for some of these six layouts, the VMRDA has initiated development of three more MIG layouts, taking the number of its existing MIG layout projects to 9. The three new layouts are coming up in Garividi, Chodavaram, and Atchuthapuram. The sale price for the Atchuthapuram layout is yet to be fixed.
Meanwhile, the VMRDA conducted a lottery for the allocation of LIG plots in its Dakamarri layout on Saturday, which has been pending for the last four years. The VMRDA then received applications for a proposed sale price of ₹6,000 per square yard.
But subsequently, in its annual land price revision process, the state government revised the per square yard registration price in Dakamarri area to ₹9,000. As registration of the plots cannot be done below the government price, the VMRDA represented the case to the state government. The state government gave its nod to go ahead with a price of ₹9,000 only.
The VMRDA first issued a notification for the sale of these LIG plots in April 2018. The urban development authority received 570 applications from prospective buyers. While 181 applicants withdrew their earnest money deposit (EMD) along with their applications in the due course, three applications were rejected.
The remaining 393 applications have been deemed eligible for the lottery, which was conducted on Saturday. While 49% of the plots will go for reserved categories, 51 per cent of the 150 plots will be available under open category.
VMRDA joint commissioner V Ravindra and secretary T Venugopal said that the VMRDA already conducted an awareness session on the lottery system for the LIG plots applicants. “The lottery was first conducted for reserved categories. The unsuccessful candidates from the reserved categories were then added to the general category for the draw. The EMD paid by the unsuccessful bidders was refunded at the lottery venue itself on Saturday,” said Ravindra and Venugopal.
