Irrigation tanks in Mancherial face threat of encroachment

When asked, Mancherial mandal Irrigation Assistant Executive Engineer K Goutham said efforts were being made to protect the lands of the tanks in the district headquarters.

Mancherial: Irrigation tanks in Mancherial district centre are allegedly facing the threat of encroachment even as officials take steps to protect the tanks from being occupied illegally.

For instance, Pochamma Cheruvu situated in the heart of the town is on the verge of vanishing. Barely five acres of land is left in FTL as against the initial extent of 64.39 acres, according to revenue officials. “Hundreds of houses will be razed if the officials identify the FTL,” a local said.

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Similarly, illegal structures were constructed in FTL of Sainikunta cheruvu which spreads in 8.17 acres in survey no 629. Having built with a 41,277 cubic meters of water storage capacity, precious land located in the FTL is no exception to encroachments. Locals alleged that over two acres of land of the tank was already occupied.

Meanwhile, some portion of 48 acres of land situated in survey number 406 in the FTL of Ramuni Cheruvu was allegedly encroached upon by certain real estate persons and politicians in recent times. The tank continues to see construction of houses and structures in the buffer zone even after the town has become the district headquarters.

“The land of the tanks is being encroached upon under the guise of beautification and the earth was being dumped in empty places to occupy the land. Boundaries were already destroyed as part of a conspiracy by land grabbers. Officials are showing negligence in protection of the land belonging to the tank by accepting bribes,” K Mallaiah, a member of Ramuni Cheruvu Walkers Association charged.

In order to control the encroachments of lands belonging to irrigation tanks, task force teams comprising officials of the revenue, police, fire department, irrigation and officials of municipalities were formed. However, the teams are not functioning, indirectly encouraging the grabbers to occupy lands of the tanks to develop real estate projects.

When asked, Mancherial mandal Irrigation Assistant Executive Engineer K Goutham said efforts were being made to protect the lands of the tanks in the district headquarters. He stated that boundaries of FTL were already fixed at Ramuni Cheruvu and Sainikunta with the help of maps available in revenue records except for Pochamma Cheruvu, which was stalled due to legal tangles.