ELURU: The Eluru Municipal Corporation (EMC) is planning to remove encroachments on the banks of the Tammileru River within the city as part of giving a facelift to the river, according to city Mayor Kare Babu Rao.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday on his completion of one year in office, the Mayor said the encroachers would be relocated at Kotturu on the city outskirts by giving them houses under the Rajiv Gruha Kalpa scheme.

Over 2,000 families have been living on the river bunds for several decades.

Rs. 18-crore project

The Mayor disclosed that he would hold a meeting of corporators soon to enlist their support in making the river bunds free of encroachments.

The Rs.18-crore project, sanctioned by the State Government, was aimed at initiating flood control measures by strengthening the river bunds and increasing its carrying capacity by deepening the course and removing shrubs, besides removal of encroachments.

Removal of encroachments was meant to facilitate strengthening of revetments and construction of retaining walls along the river, the Mayor said. Breaches to the river bunds led to flash floods recently, playing havoc with the city people which forced the State government to come out with a disaster mitigation project.

Bridge proposed

Mr. Babu Rao said it was proposed to build a bridge across the river in place of the causeway near Ameenapet under the project. The floods in the river led to cut off the transport link between the city and the colonies and villages located on the other side of the river. The bridge would help check recurrence of such problem in the future, he added.

The Mayor revealed that the corporation had sought Rs. 180 crores from the Urban Infrastructure Development in Small and Medium Towns (UIDSMT) in Delhi for provision of underground drainage facility in II-Town and improvement of water supply system in the city.

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