Riverfront structures face an uncertain future

Vijayawada: The state government’s decision to go in for a riverfront capital, on the banks of the River Krishna, and to earmark a 1-2 km stretch from the river for tourism has brought the structures that have been constructed on the water’s edge in places like Tadepalli mandal of Guntur district in sharp focus.

In the past three decades, permanent structures have mushroomed below the bund, almost touching the river in a 6 km stretch along the Vijayawada-Amaravati road, from Undavalli panchayat limits to Venkatapalem.

The proximity of this scenic place to Vijayawada attracted many big shots to buy land and build ashrams, spiritual centres and guesthouses.

Over time, these structures have grown in size. A multi-storeyed sprawling ‘Prakriti Chikitsalayam (Naturopathy Healing Centre)’ with hundreds of ‘treatment rooms’ was built under the patronage of a businessman-turned-politician.

Time and again, allegations that some of these structures were built in violation of the River Conservancy Act have been raised. These allegations have been vehemently denied. In this backdrop, the state government’s decision to earmark a 2 km stretch from the tourism sector has raised questions on these structures’ future.

Another interesting question doing rounds is whether the government will be willing to take on the people behind the structure and dismantle them or let them remain.

When contacted, the people behind the concrete structures said that they have not received any notices on the issue so far. They maintained that the structures were built on private patta lands and hence the government cannot proceed against them.

The general feeling is that even if the government does decide to dismantle these structures, it would make little headway, given the clout of the builders.