A mysterious fire broke out at Velagapudi village, destroying acres of sugarcane farms in the proposed new Capital Region Amaravathi in Guntur District. The incident which took place just days before the Bhoomi Pooja to be held at Mandadam village, located at a distance of 10 k.m. from the incident spot, sent the district machinery into a tizzy.
District Collector Kantilal Dande rushed to the village and took stock of the situation. District Fire Officer S.M. Jeelani said that the fire mishap could have been caused by sparks emanating from a transformer in the vicinity. He said that the fire has been controlled. Fire tenders from Guntur and Sattenapalli were pressed into service.
It is to be noted that earlier in December last year, a series of mysterious fire mishaps at Lingayapalem and other river-front villages created a furore in these villages. The incidents sparked blame game between the ruling TDP and opposition parties. As the police took control of the situation, landowners of river-front villages blamed the State Government for trying to intimidate them.
