: The ambitious plan to transform Tirupati into a ‘City of Lakes,’ as envisaged by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, is all set to take off as a multimodal activity, with the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) taking up the coordinating role. However, the TTD will not spend money from the exchequer of Lord Venkateswara, as feared by some devotees.
Under the ‘Haritha’ project, the TTD short-listed 100 tanks for development out of the 139 present in the extended limits of Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA). Top priority has been accorded to the water bodies dotting the highways leading to the temple city, which can not only add to the city’s aesthetics, but also offer respite to the pilgrims.
Based on their geographic location, tourism potential and priority, 20 tanks were brought under the first category, 22 under the second and 58 under the third category (low priority). ‘Low priority’ means they are of no major aesthetic relevance, except for percolation and ayacut. Though not in TUDA limits, the mammoth Rayala Cheruvu tank built by emperor Sri Krishna Devaraya to the south of Tirupati, has also been recently added in view of the benefit accruable to farmers.
The TTD has roped in the Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD), Tourism, TUDA, Social forestry, District Water Management Agency (DWMA) and the marketing departments. A meeting held by TTD Executive Officer D. Sambasiva Rao with Collector Siddharth Jain and other officials last month successfully evolved a mechanism in working out the modalities. “We will work towards tapping funds from various governmental schemes to develop the tanks and not spend TTD funds,” N. V. Sivaram Prasad, TTD’s Deputy Conservator of Forest and the nodal officer of this project, told The Hindu .
‘Neeru Chettu’ funds will be utilised to develop the tank bed, strengthen bund and plant trees in its foreshore. The tourism and social forestry wings will improve greenery and add facilities to build potential ‘lung space’. The Irrigation Department will focus only on cultivation-oriented tanks, where the benefit of stakeholders, i.e., farmers and Water Users Associations (WUAs) takes priority. TUDA will ensure that the residential sewage and garbage are not dumped in the tanks.
As most tanks fall within 5 km of the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve, the Forest Department can explore ways to tap the fund, as the project ensures improving biodiversity and developing a healthy ecosystem around Tirupati.
