VIJAYAWADA/KAKINADA: A tense situation prevailed for a while at Ippatam village in Tadepalli mandal of Guntur district on Saturday with authorities resuming demolition of encroached structures as part of their road-widening programme.
Jana Sena leaders and supporters tried to resist the demolitions, but officials went ahead with the help of the police.
Jana Sena leaders and villagers successfully stalled the demolitions last year by getting a court order. However, authorities approached the High Court, which vacated the court stay saying it had been obtained erroneously on grounds that no notice had been served over demolitions when in fact the notices had been served.
However, villagers again filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the judgment of the single judge on demolition. But the High Court bench dismissed this petition.
Following this, officials restarted the removal of boundary walls of a dozen houses on Saturday amidst protests by Jana Sena supporters. However, demolitions continued with the intervention of the police.
Jana Sena political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar described the demolitions as vindictive, saying they are retaliation by the state government, as people of Ippatam had offered 34 acres of land to Jana Sena for celebrating its foundation day. In this context, he wondered why a small village like Ippatam requires a 120-feet road.
Jana Sena leader Narasimha Rao, JS political affairs committee member Bonaboina Srinivas Yadav and JS district chief Gade Venkateswara Rao were among those who protested against the demolitions.
