Officials turn blind eye to Katwa encroachment

Dundigal: Land-grabbers are allegedly trying to occupy Katwa tank in Bowrampet by filling it with sand carried in hundreds of tippers. Taking advantage of the situation, realtors are getting busy with their activities. Officials of the Irrigation department, who are supposed to protect water bodies from being encroached, are allegedly showing least concern.

Even the Revenue staff is being complacent to the alleged tank-grabbing attempts. Following alleged political pressure water bodies are fast disappearing because of the activities of land sharks. This is resulting in fast depletion of ground water. The Irrigation staff is utterly failing in protecting tanks when they are necessary to make available water to borewells.

This sorry state of affairs of official showing indifference are prevailing when the TRS government is striving to desilt tanks under the Mission Kakatiya scheme and building new tanks. Encroachment of water bodies is taking place right before the eyes of the Revenue staff, who allegedly accept bribes to look the other way.

Local residents told The Hans India that the Katwa tank spread over 200 acres, including Sikham land, in survey no 608, is providing irrigation facilities to five villages. They said the sikham land in survey no 571, 572 and 573 always remain under water. According to them, since two days efforts are being made to fill the lands during nights with sand in tippers to usurp them as they are worth crores.

Gandimaisamma Dundigal Revenue Inspector Renuka, who visited the spot along with VROs, expressed ire at the land-grabbers, with a warning that cases would be registered against them. She told THI that a buyer who purchased land a week back claimed that he was not aware of the happenings. The RI stated that a criminal case would be registered against him. If he does not remove the filled sand, the department itself would do it.