The Hindu : Front Page : Robbing the city of its charm

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Monday, Jul 30, 2007
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Robbing the city of its charm

B. Madhu Gopal

Forum plans to move court on violations on Yarada hills

Photo:K.R. Deepak

LOSING GREENERY: An excavator at work on the Yarada hills.–

VISAKHAPATNAM: The blue waters of the Bay of Bengal on one side and the lush green hills on the other is a unique feature of Visakhapatnam which not many other cities in the country can boast. The hills at many places are slowly yielding place to concrete jungles. The picturesque Yarada hills, home to scores of flora and fauna, have now become the target.

The hills offer a panoramic view of the concrete jungle (city view) on one side and the pristine beauty of Yarada village, largely covered by a canopy of coconut trees on the other. Vast tracts of lush green jungles atop the hill are being felled by excavators to pave the way for construction of quarters for Naval officers and staff. It is learnt that the Government has sanctioned 100 acres of land afresh to the Navy atop the hills. According to a notification issued on September 14, 2006, prior permission has to be obtained for constructions in over 50 acres or 20,000 square metres of built-up area in a single venture.

‘No clearance’

The Naval authorities have neither applied for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) clearance from the Pollution Control Board nor seem to have obtained permission of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, according to sources. The Navy had also laid a road for the exclusive use of its personnel. Civilians and villagers of Yarada are not allowed to use the road which not only reduces the distance but is much safer than the old road to the village. “We only wanted to provide an alternative road to villagers of Yarada. The Telugu Desam Party which is now raising a hue and cry over it, had allotted lands to private companies on the hills and one resort had even blocked the entry to the beach,” says VUDA Chairman P.S.N. Raju.

“The Navy should respect the sentiments of the people. Where is the need for construction of residential quarters on hills? I am planning to move the court on hill violations in Visakhapatnam,” says convener of Forum for Better Visakha and former Energy Secretary E.A.S. Sarma. FBV is in the process of listing the hill violations like indiscriminate felling of trees and razing of hills to the ground. The Supreme Court, in a recent judgment, had said that no construction activity should be allowed on hills.

“It’s a classified facility and all necessary clearances have been obtained,” said an official spokesman of the Navy but refused to elaborate.

District Collector Anil Kumar Singhal couldn’t be reached on the phone.

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