VIJAYAWADA : Bringing down the curtains on a protracted controversy over a piece of prime land in the city, the State Government has given permission to the fire services department to construct a fire station in 920 sq. yards of land near the police control room.

The Vijayawada, Guntur, Tenali, Mangalagiri Urban Development Authority (VGTM-UDA) will have to take up the construction of the fire station.

It will also find a site and construct residential quarters for the fire personnel, while the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) has to shelve its plans of developing greenery in the controversial site.

Centre of controversy

Located adjacent to the compound wall of Pandit Nehru Bus Station, the piece of land was the centre of controversy till recently. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) had allotted 720 sq. yards of land to the fire services department in 1992. This was in lieu of demolishing a fire station and residential quarters located opposite the police control room then.

The APSRTC and the VGTM-UDA needed 1140 sq. yards land, in which the fire station and the quarters were situated, to provide a way to the bus station and for the construction of a flyover connecting the control room and Canal Road.

In return to the site, the VGTM-UDA had agreed to construct a fire station and staff quarters, while the APSRTC had given the land adjacent to the bus station's compound wall.

Meanwhile, the irrigation department had given consent to the fire services department to use its 200 sq. yards of land abutting the land given by the RTC.

Attracts attention

Due to the inordinate delay in construction of the fire station, the piece of land in prime locality attracted many eyes and some people occupied it by building thatched houses some two years ago. In January last year, then Municipal Commissioner V. Usha Rani had the huts removed as part of a demolition drive and advised the fire services department to occupy it at the earliest.

The issue came to light again when Municipal Commissioner Natarajan Gulzar proposed to develop greenery in the land in November last.

Special Chief Secretary (Home department) Paul Bhuyan, who convened a meeting with the officials of different departments in the city recently, made it clear that a fire station should be constructed in the land.

He asked the officials of the VGTM-UDA to take up the construction of fire station and staff quarters.

When contacted, vice-chairman of the VGTM-UDA Y.S. Prasad says the issue of constructing fire station and quarters has already been discussing in the general body meeting of the urban development authority.

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