Visakhapatnam: Clearing decades-old controversy over Daspalla lands (the most expensive stretch) in Vizag city, district collector Pravin Kumar on Tuesday said as per the court orders, the lands were private lands.

The circuit house (Government Guest House) and the overhead water tank of GVMC near the circuit house in Vizag city could be in problem as the two structures were stand on the private land.

The collector said the Revenue department had confirmed that the land near the water tank is on a private land, but it is yet to be confimred whether the land on which the circuit house stood was private or government.

If the land is confirmed to be a private land, then the government may have to go for land acquisition or other alternative measures.

Pravin Kumar said land measuring over 60 acres at the Daspalla Hills area is a private land, as per a verdict by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Explaining the issue, Pravin Kumar said after the introduction of the AP Estate Abolition Act of 1948, the land in 1956 was declared as vacant land or poramboke.