The Municipal Administration Department’s announcement of sale of plots in six Middle Income Group (MIG) layouts named Jagananna Smart Townships evoked a lot of interest from potential buyers. The plots in the MIG township at Nowluru in Mangalagiri mandal of Guntur district are the costliest of all, priced at ₹17,499 per square yard, apparently due to its proximity to the capital Amaravati. Enquiries are already said to be pouring in for it.
The other townships are at Dharmavaram (Anantapur district), Kavali (Nellore), Rayachoti (Kadapa), Kandukur (Prakasam) and Eluru (West Godavari). The MIG layout at Dharmavaram is the largest with 1,272 plots. The layout at Nowluru has 616 plots, Kavali 1,112, Eluru 386, Rayachoti 294 and Kandukur 292. The households with annual income up to ₹18 lakh are eligible to buy the plots.
Infrastructure
The creation of basic infrastructure - drinking water, roads, drains and electricity - in these layouts is an attractive proposition as generally, in a private venture, such facilities are not provided as per the commitment given by the developers and usually the infrastructure is substandard.
These layouts are registered with the AP Real Estate Regulatory Authority (APRERA), which is mandated to redress the public grievances when major violations are committed.
The fact that the Anantapur-Hindupur, Nellore, Annamaiah (Kadapa), Ongole and Eluru Urban Development Authorities and CRDA are the developers obliges them to comply with all rules laid down by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP). Failure to do so gives any aggrieved customer the opportunity to sue the UDAs before the appropriate forums, APRERA being the first resort.
Allotment through lottery
The plots will be allotted through a computerised lottery, for which applications have to be submitted through the website https://migapdtcp.ap.gov.in
“The real estate market is down due to COVID-19 and various other factors. Still, I consider it a good option to buy a plot in these layouts whetherfor constructing a house or for the sake of a long-term investment,” says M. Raghavendra Rao, a retired private sector employee based in Mangalagiri. He tells The Hindu that banks will give loans without much hassle as the layouts are approved.
K. Rajendra, president of the Vijayawada chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI), opines that the involvement of the government makes the projects trustworthy due to the binding nature of the agreements that would be made. Because of this, there is likely to be a good demand but it goes without saying that the overall economy should recover from the devastating impact of the pandemic.
