VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court, which is hearing a batch of petitions against the construction of resorts at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam violating the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms, on Tuesday questioned the district collector as to how he could give permission for dumping debris from the construction site to the sea.
The government informed the court that it was not dumping the debris in the sea and was using a government site for the same.When the petitions came for hearing on Tuesday, senior counsel KS Murthy, on behalf of one of the petitioners, Jana Sena corporator Murthy Yadav, sought court directions to quash the orders given by the district collector to dump the debris in the sea. The counsel informed the court that such an act will pollute the sea.
Another petitioner, TDP MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna's counsel N Aswini Kumar, said the government is taking up constructions at places other than where the existing resort was demolished, against the Supreme Court directives. The counsel said the authorities have removed a bus shelter.
When the court questioned how the collector could give orders for dumping the debris in the sea, government special pleader C Suman said the debris was not dumped in the sea but was disposed of at an open space at Totlakonda. The court gave permission for YSRC rebel MP K Raghurama Krishna Raju to implead in the case.