GUNTUR: A day after the Durga temple on Nandivelugu road was demolished, the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC) has cleared its name against the allegations made by the locals. The locals claimed that the GMC demolished the temple without issuing any prior notice and have been demanding a site for the reconstruction of the temple since Thursday.
However, the GMC refuted allegations of forcible demolition and claimed that an alternative place for the temple was allotted as compensation, on which a temple has been already constructed. "Despite the construction of a new temple at an alternative site, the temple committee did not shift the temple built on the road, hence the GMC officials demolished the temple. It was done only after shifting the idols," GMC commissioner C Anuradha maintained.
The temple committee members submitted a representation to the GMC commissioner on Friday, mentioning that the temple committee along with devotees were not against the demolition of the temple for Nandivelugu road widening works and the GMC has taken the right step. They requested the public not to share posts with religious comments on social media in order to create tension among the devotees.
They mentioned that the GMC officials had conducted meetings with devotees, temple committee members several times since 2016, following which the GMC provided a 50 square feet site for construction of a new temple on the premises of MEPMA office near Kolli Sarada Market in Guntur.
Anuradha said that the temple was built on the road, which obstructed the road widening works and caused inconvenience to public transportation between NTR statue centre and Nandivelugu road from APSRTC bus terminal.