An inquiry has been ordered against the officials of the Irrigation Department with regard to encroachments along the flood bank of the Krishna River in Guntur and Krishna districts.
Some hundreds of illegal structures, including a multi-storied hospital, high-rise buildings, farm houses, houses of public representatives and residential houses came up abutting the river violating the River Conservation Act and the Water, Land and Tree Act (WALTA).
The State government is conducting inquiry against Kadiyala Ravi, Superintending Engineer, SRBC Circle, Kathika Narendra, Assistant Executive Engineer, K.C. Division, Irrigation Circle, Vijayawada, and Godavari Gopal, Executive Engineer, Irrigation Division, Eluru, under Rule 20 of the A.P. Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1991.
The three officials have been asked to submit their written statements in defence within ten days.
In August this year, flood entered the buildings located on the Krishna flood bank and the government served notices on the owners of the illegal structures to vacate the buildings immediately. The buildings were under a sheet of water for a few days as the river was in spate.
Krishna District Collector A. Md. Imtiaz directed the officials concerned to get shifted about 100 children staying in a private children’s home located on the river bund at Bhavanipuram in Vijayawada. The inmates were shifted to safer places twice in the last three months due to floods.
“Some hundreds of patients were staying in a multi-storied hospital located on the bund posing threat to their lives. Instructions were given to vacate the building during floods,” said an official.
Notices served
The revenue officials served notices on the owner of the house in which the former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was staying, as the house constructed abutting the river was marooned in flood waters recently.
PAC visit
A few years ago, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) visited the river bund and directed the Collectors of Krishna and Guntur districts to submit report on the encroachments. An MLA also filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in court on the unauthorised structures along the river bund.
“Many guest houses, a big hospital, ashrams, shrines, residential buildings and multi-storied constructions have come up along the Krishna River bund. Some persons constructed the high-rise structures on the flood bank violating norms. It has become difficult for us to get the inmates vacated from the buildings during floods,” says a police official. Special Chief Secretary (irrigation) Adityanath Das issued orders for inquiry against the officials.
