MLAs unite, seek end to Simhachalam land row

The long-standing land dispute affecting thousands of residents in the ‘Simhachalam Panchagramulu’ (Simhachalam five villages) has returned to the spotlight, with city MLAs, including Panchakarla Rameshbabu (Pendurthy), Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu (Vizag East), P. Vishnu Kumar Raju (Vizag North), PGVR Naidu (Vizag West) and Ganta Srinivasa Rao (Bheemili) and Palla Srinivasa Rao (Gajuwaka) launching a unified push in the ongoing Assembly sessions to resolve the issue.

These MLAs said it is time to stop shifting the blame to ‘court cases’, and urged the government to set strict deadlines. They also proposed the formation of a special committee—consisting of Advocate General, top Revenue and Endowments officials, and local representatives—to cut through the red tape. The focus is to finally grant legal ownership rights to the 12,000 families who have lived on these lands for generations.