KURNOOL: A village pond near B. Thandrapadu on the outskirts of Kurnool city that has been there since time immemorial was fenced and a part of it was levelled, much to the chagrin of 10,000-odd villagers who largely depended on the pond as a source of water for their cattle.
According to village sarpanch Jayanna, the pond was a source of groundwater for the village and if it was levelled, the borewells in the village would dry up eventually.
He said the pond, popularly known as Tandrapadu Cheruvu, has been in existence for a long time. A national highway passes through on the fringes of the pond. It was a good source of water for the villages as it gets rainwater from the Jagannath Gutta hillock and was perennial, he said.
Narrating the plight of villagers, he said the pond was not seen in any of the revenue records earlier, but all of a sudden, they found its entries in online registers maintained by the revenue department. While one part of the pond was under the control of G. Pulla Reddy Trust, the other was claimed by private persons, he said.
“A few months ago, we came to know that the pond was sold to Dhulipala Kiran and associates from Guntur. About 17 acres of land in the area was allegedly sold to them. The buyers swiftly levelled the pond by using 600 tippers over a period of a few days. Previous district collector G. Veera Pandian was also present when the pond was filled up with mud, Jayanna said. “When we villagers went and objected to the filling up of the pond, a case was filed against 13 villagers,” he stated.
When contacted, Kurnool RDO Hari Prasad said it was a water body and the land below the water should belong to the government. But in this case, the details pertaining to the Thandrapadu tank, somehow, missed revenue records. The present owners are showing patta rights from the British period and claiming ownership over the pond, the RDO said.
“The district collector formed a three-member committee with revenue and irrigation officials and we are going to submit our report in the month of September,” Hari Prasad said.
He said the pond was spread over an extent of 53 acres and 17 acres had been fenced and levelled up. Private owners are demanding compensation to relinquish rights over the water body, he said, adding, “We need at least `30 crore to secure the village pond.”
It was also pointed out by officials that police were not cooperating with the revenue department. An official said they requested the police to impose 144 section around the pond, but the police denied their request. “Big hands are behind this,” he pointed.
G. Pulla Reddy Trust, which has been at the forefront of extending support to societal causes, must come forward in the interest of the environment and public good to cede control over the B Thandrapadu village pond, an official said.
He said, “The trust has been supported by the government in several ways and many concessions were provided earlier. Keeping the need of the environment and groundwater protection, they should show magnanimity.”
