The spic and span ghats that greeted pilgrims in the recent Krishna Pushkarams in the ancient Amaravati town in Guntur district have deteriorated in terms of hygiene thanks to the failure of the authorities concerned to sustain the enormous efforts that went into the beautification drive.
Some of the stretches of these ghats now resemble a public dump yard.
The famous Amaralingeswara temple, one of the Pancharama Kshetras, located on the southern banks of River Krishna and its vicinity had played perfect hosts to lakhs of pilgrims pouring from all directions.
Within a couple of months after the grand river carnival, a stench emanating from slush and dirt and deposits of mangled Ganesh idols that were immersed in water but floated aground during Vinayaka Chavithi greet the visitors at the temple ghat. This stretch of the ghat has lost all its sheen and reminds one of post-tsunami debris.
Interestingly, visitors make a turnaround exactly at the point where the adjacent Krishnaveni ghat ends without touching the temple ghat to avoid the stench and dirt strewn across the place.
When contacted, the Tourism wing that has beautified the Amaralingeswara temple and the Krishnaveni ghat, said the temple ghat comes under the purview of the Irrigation Department.
Incomplete work
Sources indicate that despite allocation of adequate funds, the Irrigation wing has failed to do its part resulting in the mess that greets the visitors.
The AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) spruced up the Amaralingeswara temple and the ghats with Central funds to the tune of Rs. 6 crore sanctioned under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme.
Ironically, the Irrigation department which received nearly Rs. 12 crore, is yet to complete some of its works. Construction of a retaining wall and a road from the ghats up to the temple are some of the pending works. “The river received 2-3 lakh cusecs of water during the recent floods. We had to wait for the water level to recede. We’ll take up the pending works and finish them in a month,” said Superintending Engineer of the Irrigation Department K.V.L.N. Chowdary.
Public health issues
There are several other key issues directly related to the public health paralysing the normal life of the local residents.
Absence of the promised construction of four sewage treatment plants (STPs) and a solid waste management unit poses a grave threat to the health of the local residents.
“All effluents from Amaravati and Dharanikota, including domestic waste, are diverted into River Krishna near Sai temple. A large pipe empties these effluents into the river water, a few yards away from the place where visitors take a dip regularly,” says Pulipati Pavan Kumar, owner of RR Residency, one of the biggest lodges in the tiny Amaravati town.
