Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

GO on Yarada Hill comes under fire

VISAKHAPATNAM: The State Government decision to change the land use of Yaradakonda in an area of 1,369 acres from hill and forest to multipurpose use zone has come under sharp criticism at a roundtable meeting conducted here by North Andhra Rakshana Vedika on Tuesday.

Speakers from various sections and political parties took strong exception to violation of Master Plan 2021 by Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority itself vide GO Ms. No. 564 dated August 20, 2008 to allow commercial activity other than industrial use in the land in question. They feared that the decision would trigger an ecological disaster.

Forum for Better Visakha coordinator E.A.S. Sarma, former Vice-Chancellor K.V. Ramana, Praja Spandana president C.S. Rao, Moinuddin Basha, president, Yarada Mukasadar Welfare Association, Maradali Khan, vice-president, All Mosques’ Federation, fishermen leader G. Papa Rao, APCLC district president T. Srirama Murthy, Bharanikana Rama Rao (TDP), K. Loknadham CPI(M), P.V. Narayana Rao and J. Pruthviraj (BJP) spoke.

Vedika president S.S. Siva Sankar presided.

The meeting resolved to launch a campaign against the bid to commercialise Yarada hill by developing tourism and housing projects, challenge the GO by approaching judiciary and take up an agitation.

Mr. Moinuddin Khan claimed that the government had no right over the hill as it was a wakf property. He said the land was given to three families belonging to Ishaq Madina Aliya way back in 1717 for maintaining a mosque in the Old Town. He said once any land was declared as wakf property, it could not be alienated by the revenue authorities for any purpose.

Mr. E.A.S. Sarma, a former IAS officer, said selling away of hills was a threat to the environment and violation of VUDA Master Plan 2021.

He said that he had written letters to Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on the need to protect the hills and forests and said they were left with no option except to approach the courts to refrain VUDA from implementing the GO. The change in land use was deliberate, the leaders from the TDP, BJP and the CPI (M) said and called for apolitical agitation to protect the interest of the city and its denizens.

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