VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) to protect ponds located in villages surrounding the capital city of Amaravati.
The court expressed concern over allegations that water bodies in the capital region were being destroyed in the name of development works related to the construction of the state capital. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) field by Nelluri Brahmendra Kumar of Dondapadu village, who alleged that ponds located in survey numbers 87 of Pichikalapalem, 80 of Thullur and 91 of Nelapadu were being filled up and used for various purposes, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan ordered the CRDA to ensure the protection of ponds located in Nelapadu, Thullur and Pichikalapalem villages.
The bench emphasised that the existence and preservation of water bodies are extremely important and cannot be ignored for development purposes. It further stated that the ruling of the Supreme Court of India on the protection of water resources must be strictly implemented, and all authorities are bound to follow those directions.
The court observed that ponds must physically exist on the ground and cannot be confined merely to official records or documents. It directed the state government and CRDA to file a detailed counter affidavit explaining the status of ponds and actions taken in the area. The matter has been adjourned to next month for further hearing.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the government was filling ponds for road construction and other projects and transferring the lands to others despite their classification as water bodies in revenue records.
In response, the state government said it would obtain records from the revenue department and submit complete details before the court.