GUNTUR: The people of Nekarikallu found a wandering crocodile in the right canal of Nagarjuna Sagar and informed the same to the local officers for necessary action. The Forest officers reached the spot after they came to know about the crocodile through locals, but the staff failed to capture it, but erected flexies in and around the canal cautioning the locals.
Then they informed the same to the Panchayati Raj and other departments so that they conducted a massive campaign and cautioned the public not to venture into waters for bathing or to clean their cattle. More than a year, ago the Forest officials had captured a crocodile in a limestone quarry pit at Piduguralla after locals of Srinivasa Nagar Colony reported that the reptile was seen wandering the streets in the early hours.
The villagers of Achempet, Machavaram and other mandals, which were close by and on the banks of Krishna river had observed on several occasions crocodiles in the river, but now the reptile had appeared in the right canal and experts felt that it might have come there through Krishna river.
M Veeranjaneya Reddy and Srinivasa Reddy expressed concern as children often ventured into the canal for bathing and the locals washed their animals in the canal because the village is on the banks of the river.
Forest Department’s Piduguralla range officer G Rajasekhar Goud said the officials reached the spot after locals informed the same to police, but the reptile was in the deep water near power house of Addaroad in Nekarikallu mandal.
The power house has dug a canal more than 50 feet deep to store backwaters beside the right canal hence they were unable to capture the crocodile. He said that they erected flexies cautioning the people around as a primary measure and reported the same to the higher officers for necessary steps to restrain movements of crocodiles in the river.
DFO Ramamohan Rao stated that a comprehensive report was needed to inform higher officials to restrain movements of crocodiles in the Krishna River, which was not a natural habitat of the reptiles.
He said that he had already directed the local officer to submit a report within a given time frame by collecting information about the number of crocodiles spotted in the canal, Krishna river and limestone mines filled with waters to inform the Wild Life department through higher officials. He said they had to control the movements of the reptiles completely.