Vijayawada: District collector Babu A. has urged the people not to believe in the rumours about the demolition proposal of Ganesha temple in One Town.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the collector said that the government was not at all thinking on those lines. “We have not declared that the temple will be removed,” the district collector clarified.
Earlier, the personnel of R and B, Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) town planning have reportedly sent signals to the temple management committee that the temple would be removed as part of road expansion programme.
However, the late night developments on Mon-day near the temple prompted the temple management committee representatives to convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday, at Kotha Gudulu, to discuss the action plan.
The committee representatives have decided to stage a large scale protest, in case the government officials tend to demolish the temple, in the late night hours. In fact, devotees across the city have been gathering since morning, near the temple, anticipating any demolition work by the R&B and VMC, with the support of city police.
“It has become a habit for the government to remove only Hindu temples and structures,” former MLA Vellampalli Sreenivasa Rao said and added that they would stall any such move by the VMC or any other government department.
Stating that they are not against any development activity, he questioned as to why the government is only targeting Hindu temples. Other prominent citizens of the city, Konakalla Vidyadhar Rao, Pothina Besukantheswarudu, Nukala Nage-swara Rao and Potnuru Durgaprasad have also demanded that the city civic body drop the move of demolishing the oldest Ganesha temple.
Meanwhile, Visakha Sree Sarada Peetham Seer Swami Swaroopananda has advised the government to stop the demolition.
“The TD came to power by promising that the sentiments of Hindus will be protected,” the seer said, and added that now the government had gone back from its promise.
In case the government won’t withdraw its decisions, the devotees will revolt, the seer, presently in Rishikesh on Chaturmasa Deeksha, warned the government.
