The issue of ownership rights of Waltair club in Visakhapatnam has been in the news once again. Waltair Club, which was formed in 1885 by taking 31 acres of land from an individual Narayan Shetty, has a big history. The management of the Waltair Club took rough patta from the Anakapalle settlement officer in 1961. The YSRCP had formed SIT to inquire about the encroachment on the government lands. As part of this, the SIT issued notices to Waltair Club, Visakha Corporation officials. They have been asked to come with the proofs for the ownership rights.
The Waltair Club was built for the British rulers and later became a part of the city limits and spans a whopping 31 acres. The value of this land is in hundreds of crores, which has led to conflicts on ownership rights. The club management took the land in Visakha town survey number 1012, 1016, 1018, 1021 from Narayan Shetty on May 16, 1895. In 1961, Anakapalle settlement officer gave rough pattas to club management. The government cancelled the settlement court patta and took over the land under Section 20 of the Estate Abolition Act. The Revenue commissioner gave orders to club management to file a petition in 1990 but the management did not file any petition.
The officials now say that the lands belong to the government. The AP government gave show-cause notices to the management in 2013. During 2012 the then collector gave orders to take over the land as per the Estate Abolition Act. During 2013, the government gave notices for acquiring the land. The government has already acquired 16 acres of land and also gave compensation for the acquired land. It also gave another notice asking the management to return the compensation as the land belonged to the government. Presently the case is in High Court.
It is learnt that the land was taken from Narayan Shetty for the club but there is no clarity on the period of the lease. The land belongs to the owner after the expiry of the lease agreement. However, nobody claimed the land given on lease. It is learnt that the management used flaws in the Revenue Act to take over the land. If anyone takes the land on lease for 14 years and show proof for all the 14 years, the pattas will be issued in their name. This is what happened in the Waltair Club. With no owner available, the Club management and Visakha Corporation are fighting in court. The decision is likely to be crucial in the ownership of the lands of the club.
