VISAKHAPATNAM: More than 6,000 acres of land within ecologically sensitive Kolleru Lake have been allegedly encroached in just two years under the present alliance government, raising concerns over enforcement failure and administrative inaction, alleged Jal Biradari National Convenor Bolisetty Satyanarayana. He also alleged that 11 new encroachment zones have emerged between 2024 and 2026, indicating an expansion of illegal aquaculture within the notified lake boundaries.
“Encroachments are not only persisting but accelerating,” he said. Kolleru, a Ramsar site protected under international commitments, had previously undergone a large-scale restoration exercise in 2006 following directions from the Supreme Court of India. The “Operation Kolleru” drive had cleared over 43,000 acres of illegal fish ponds, restoring the lake’s ecological balance.
The former JSP senior leader said, “Around 65,000 acres were encroached during the Congress period, about 60,000 acres under the TDP during its previous regimes, and nearly 30,000 acres during the YSRCP tenure, and more than 6,000 acres in current NDA tenure. But what is alarming now is the pace at which fresh violations are happening, even after repeated court interventions.”