An illegal construction on the Krishna riverbed under the limits of Tadepalli mandal by organisers of a temple, which is an unauthorised structure again, was demolished by the revenue and irrigation officials on Monday. According to officials, the wall was being constructed in a bid to divert the water flow that had been cutting off the bund built across a stream of the river since rains began.
Though the construction activity was on for the past three days, officials swung into action only after morning walkers and runners took the issue to the notice of the authorities. Tadepalli Mandal Tahsildar D. Padmanabhudu, Guntur North DSP G. Rama Krishna, Water Resources Department Assistant Engineer P. Sreenivasulu and others inspected the encroached area and ordered removal of the structures.
“The construction was being built on the river margin area in violation of the rules. All the material including the concrete tree guards have been removed. The temple is also an illegal structure. After discussing with the higher officials, an action plan will be prepared to address the issue,” Mr. Sreenivasulu told The Hindu . For the past few days, the unauthorised works had been a major cause of concern for the members of Amaravati Walkers and Runners Association (Awara) who have transformed the garbage-filled riverbed. “Why should we encounter walls or any needless artificial intrusions ?, asked Awara founder Ajay K.
Notices soon
Negligence of the officials concerned in protecting the river area has paved the way for many illegal structures. Apart from the ‘Krishna Jala Shankaralayam’ which was rebuilt into a bigger structure and inaugurated recently, others including an office of a government employees’ union and a unit of laundry machine dealer were built on the river margin. “Notices will be served on the encroachers soon,” Mr. Sreenivasulu added.
