SANGAREDDY: The district administration has begun focusing on the conservation of lakes in the HMDA area in the district.
After District Collector Valluru Kranthi gave clear instructions to the Municipal and Irrigation departments in the district, the officials identified 16 lakes within the HMDA limits of the district and began taking measures to set up fencing around them.
The tenders for fencing have already been finalised for an estimated cost of Rs 35 lakh. The officials of the Irrigation Department identified 16 lakes in Patancheru, Hathnoora and Sangareddy mandals and are making arrangements to fence them.
Irrigation official Jaibheem said that the boundary stones would be put and fencing would be done to the extent of the buffer zone of the ponds.
He said that since the contractors have already been finalised they will start the work as soon as possible. The Bobbili Kunta lake in Sangareddy district headquarters is being fenced at a cost of Rs 1.63 lakh.
Doodibavi and Errakunta in the same town are also being fenced at an expenditure of Rs 7 lakh. At the same time, the authorities have initiated necessary measures for the conservation of Jalu Kunta, Turkoni Kunta, Nageti Kunta, Bhimuni Cheravu and Patha Cheruvu in Hathnoora mandal. Officials said Mella Cheruvu in Tellapur of Ramachandrapuram mandal, which is the closest to Hyderabad, is also being fenced at a cost of Rs 1.02 lakh. Officials decided to fence Vanam Cheruvu also in the same mandal, and Nagulakunta in Eedula Nagulapalli village.
When the irrigation department officials went to survey Nagulapalli on Monday for fencing, the villagers obstructed them. They said they have pattas for the land which the officials were trying to fence.
But the officials told them that no construction should be allowed or undertaken in the buffer zone and that was the reason why they were fencing the buffer zone of the lake. When they continued to obstruct, the officials realised that it may precipitate into ugly incident and turned back.
In Sangareddy district, the responsibility of conservation of lakes in the jurisdiction of municipalities has been entrusted to the municipal authorities. While the Irrigation Department officials are taking measures for the conservation of 16 lakes, the municipal authorities will also fence out lakes in their jurisdiction.
Officials expect that this process would be completed in a week to 10 days but wonder what they should do if they face resistance from locals when they get around to putting up fences in the buffer zones of lakes.