Kotilingala Ghat, considered the longest ghat in the country, presents an unhygienic look as river Godavari started drying up owing to summer. The government constructed the 1.2 kms ghat during the Godavari Pushkarams by spending Rs. 15 crore.
After the pushkarams, the Municipal Corporation of Rajamahendravaram (MCR) chalked out a scheme to protect the ghat . It came up with a novel idea of converting into an entertainment zone.
Experiment fails
MCR Commissioner V. Vijayarama Raju arranged a large screen and screened Telugu movies. But, this experiment evoked poor response and soon the ghat turned into a washing ghat.
Pointing to the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that the ghat along with the newly-constructed VIP ghat would be developed into a picnic spot under the Akhanda Godavari Project, he said, “We have done an experiment which was not an expensive one.”
However, he is confident that the civic body will rope in philanthropists to develop parks, entertainment projects and food courts in PPP mode in consultation with the District Collector and the Tourism Department.
Pollution
“It is neither an irrigation structure nor free-flow water zone. Water will not flow regularly in that area as pollutants from paper mill, sewage, accumulation of plastic waste acting as main hurdles of the flow,” said S. Sugunakar Rao, Superintending Engineer of the Irrigation Department,.
D.V.R. Suryarao, social worker, suggested handing over of the ghat to the public sector undertakings like ONGC, GAIL or corporate companies like International Paper and Reliance Industries, for proper maintenance.
MCR Commissioner V. Vijayarama Raju says the civic body will rope in philanthropists to develop parks, entertainment projects and food courts
in PPP mode
