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Adieu to flood onslaught

T.V.S.Chalapaty Rao espoused the cause of construction of flood bank at Krishnalanka, recalls T.V.A.S.SARMA

COMMITTED TO CAUSE Works minister A.C.Subba Reddy addressed a gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Krishnalanka flood bank. Municipal chairman S.M.A.Khuddus (extreme left) and MLA T.V.S.Chalapaty Rao (sporting a cap) were present.

January 4, 1965 was a red-letter day in the history of Vijayawada. On that memorable day, the State Government laid the foundation stone for the construction of a flood bank in Krishnalanka.

Krishnalanka was one of the natural islands in the bed of River Krishna. The present aerial view of Vijayawada reveals the gorgeous Bhavani island in the bed of the Krishna River.

In good old days, a large number of citizens occupied the land of Krishnalanka and constructed a number of houses. But they had to face the onslaught of Krishna flood frequently. They continued to live under precarious conditions for many years.

TVS moots idea

When T.V.S. Chalapaty Rao was the chairman of Vijayawada Municipality (October 14, 1947 to July 15, 1955), a proposal was mooted to provide a permanent flood bank in that area. But the then Government of combined Madras State did not evince any interest in that. After the formation of Andhra State, the issue came up for consideration. When the construction of Nagarjunasagar project was mooted, it was believed by irrigation engineers that the Krishnalanka area would be liberated from the onslaught of flood once the construction of the gigantic project was completed. Meanwhile, some prominent citizens of Krishnalanka area like late Sistla Lakshmipathy Sastry began to demand the construction of a permanent flood bank.

In 1962, Dr. Chalapaty Rao, the erstwhile Municipal chairman, was elected to the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly from Vijayawada South constituency. Using his good offices, Dr. Rao could convince the Government of Andhra Pradesh to sanction funds for the construction of a permanent flood bank.

Perfect harmony

Kasu Brahmananda Reddy was the Chief Minister then, while A.C.Subba Reddy was the minister for public works department. S.M.A.Khuddus was the Chairman of Vijayawada Municipality then. The elected representatives of the civic authority and the Legislative Assembly worked together in perfect harmony for the welfare of the community.

The efforts were invigorated to have the Krishnalanka flood bank built after the bridge connecting the right and left banks at Nagarjunasagar was washed away in the 1964 cyclone. A.C.Subba Reddy lauded the efforts of the local legislator (Dr. Rao), for the Government wouldn't have considered the construction of the flood bank, had the MLA not taken up the issue. Even today that spirit stands as a beacon providing direction to all the succeeding generations.

Thanks to the construction of the flood bank, thousands of citizens inhabit the island now sans the worry of inundation due to floods. The river was in full spate more than once in 2005. Despite that, hundreds of vehicles are plying every day without any fear or anxiety on the national highway, adjacent to the flood bank.

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