Rolling boulders a huge threat

Vijayawada: Every rainy season is posing a major challenge for the residents of hill areas to live safely from the threat of rolling boulders. Nearly two lakh people have been residing on the hilly areas across the city. Some of the residents of hill areas lost their lives when the rolling boulders fell on them in the past.

Highlights:

• According to reports, nearly two lakh people are residing on hills at Mogulrajapuram Christurajapuram, Gangireddula Dibba, Machavaram, Chuttugunta Centre, Nimmathota, Ramarajyanagar, Chittinagar and Vidyadharapuram.
• Encroachment of hill areas started four decades ago and now several permanent structures have come up
• CPI and CPM have been demanding the erection of walls for the last several years

Hundreds of people were injured from rolling boulders in various incidents. The city hogged the limelight after the bifurcation of the state and as Andhra Pradesh’s new capital Amaravati coming up nearby.

In this backdrop, following the instructions from the state government, the forest department made recommendations towards shifting the residents of hill areas to safer zones and erecting fences at the hills to prevent boulders but no security measures have been taken in this regard.

According to the officials of the forest department, the hills are natural protectors from calamities like earth quakes and cyclones. Greenery, including several varieties of trees, are facing a threat from unauthorised occupations.

The whole situation may pose a danger to the ecological balance. Already, the city weather recorded highest temperatures in summer.

According to reports, nearly two lakh people are residing on hills at Mogulrajapuram Christurajapuram, Gangireddula Dibba, Machavaram, Chuttugunta Centre, Nimmathota, Ramarajyanagar, Chittinagar and Vidyadharapuram. The encroachments started taking place almost four decades ago and now several permanent structures were built on the hill areas.

The governments had failed to provide house sites to the poorer sections of the society. The city development is also confined to limited area and houseless poorer sections, too, prefer to reside on hills which are in the middle of the city.

The local authorities and governments are turning a blind eye on the developments, leading to the present crisis. Later, they provided basic amenities like drinking water, roads, and electric lanes for hill area residents.

As a result, the encroachments have slowly expanded to top of the hill areas. But the people of hill areas are facing a threat to their lives particularly during the rainy season from rolling boulders. Several poor people lost their lives when boulders hit them.

Even the government did not take steps to provide a mesh or wall for protecting the residents from rolling boulders. The two Left parties, CPI and CPM have been demanding the erection of walls for the last several years.

The local government did not take any action to control the hill area encroachments which have been continuing during the past four decades. Significantly, the state government has taken decision recently to provide house site pattas to all occupants.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Wednesday, former corporator Bobba Srinivasa Rao said that he represented the hill areas in the municipal council almost two decades ago. But, still, the people of this region were facing a similar threat from rolling boulders in every rainy season.

He said the government should construct a mesh at least as a precautionary measure. One Forest department official, on condition of anonymity, said that the department had submitted its report with recommendations and awaiting a decision.

By Patibandla Srinivas