ELURU: The residents of Chinagaruvu in Bhimavaram rural mandal vented their ire at the police and officials, who tried to lay a pipeline to Godavari Mega Aqua Food Park at Tundurru, through their residential locality and farm fields, on Friday. Later, they staged a dharna at Narsapur Sub-Collectorate. The officials with the help of police started laying the pipeline on Thursday, but stopped after Bhimavaram MLA Pulaparti Ramanjaneyulu directed the officials to stop the works.
But, the officials resumed the pipeline works at Chinagaruvu on Friday morning. Following this, the villagers reached the spot, and squatted at the site demanding that the officials stop pipeline works that carry effluents of the food park through their residential locality.Pedagaruvu sarpanch Pericharla Vijaya Narasimha Raju also reached the spot and asked the officials to stop the works. The officials refused and tried to resume the works. At this stage, the police and villagers exchanged war of words. As the officials made it clear that they won’t stop work, the villagers staged a dharna.
With this, the officials told the villagers that they cannot do anything when the higher officials have ordered them to lay pipelines. The villagers said that in the first instance, the officials told them that the pipeline would be laid through a drain situated on the outskirts of the village. They alleged that as there were fish and prawn ponds belonging to big farmers and landlords, the officials changed the design of the pipeline through Chinagaruvu. They expressed fear that if the pipeline passed through their village, the water sources would contaminate and in future they may not get protected drinking water.