Vijayawada: Since the TDP-led NDA government came to power in the state, a rapid real estate boom is being witnessed in and around Vijayawada city, triggering serious concerns over the encroachment of government lands, including irrigation tanks and canal bunds. Despite repeated complaints, officials of the concerned departments have allegedly failed to take timely action.

In a glaring violation of norms, a realtor reportedly developed an unauthorised layout by occupying the bund of the Gollapudi Pumping Lift Irrigation Scheme (GPLIS) canal, one of the major lift irrigation projects in the erstwhile Krishna district. The realtor allegedly laid a road on the canal bund and formed a layout without obtaining mandatory permission from the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA). The illegal non-layout venture is located adjacent to the China Avutapalli–Kaza six-lane NHAI bypass road, between Nunna and KV Kandrika villages near Vijayawada, making it a highly lucrative real estate location.

Taking advantage of the proximity to the national highway, realtors have allegedly illegally occupied canal bunds on both sides of the Gollapudi Pumping Lift Irrigation Scheme canal and converted them into approach roads.

In addition to using the canal bunds as internal roads, the realtors have reportedly created unauthorised direct access roads linking their ventures to the NHAI bypass, in blatant violation of irrigation, revenue, and highway safety norms. These unauthorised road formations not only endanger the structural safety of the canal bunds but also pose serious risks to the smooth flow of irrigation and drinking water supply.

Local farmers allege that the illegal occupation of both sides of the canal bund has weakened the embankments, increasing the risk of breaches during heavy inflows or the monsoon season. They warned that continued inaction by authorities could lead to irreparable damage to the irrigation infrastructure, severely affecting thousands of acres of ayacut and the drinking water needs of surrounding villages. The GPLIS canal irrigates nearly 6,000 acres of ayacut spread across NTR and Krishna districts. In the NTR district, villages including Gollapudi, Jakkampudi, Ambapuram, P Nainavaram, Pathapadu, KV Kandrika, and Nunna, and Mustabada village in Krishna district, depend on this scheme for irrigation. The canal also serves as a key source of drinking water for Nunna, Pathapadu, and Mustabada villages.

GPLIS canal served the region for 5 decades

For over five decades, the canal has sustained agriculture in the region. However, farmers allege that due to unchecked real estate activity and encroachments, the irrigated area has reduced from 7,500 acres to about 6,000 acres. Initially, the GPS canal was under the control of the Water Resources Department (WRD), Vijayawada Special Division, and later transferred to the Andhra Pradesh State Irrigation Development Corporation (APSIDC). Farmers allege that after the transfer, maintenance and protection of the canal deteriorated, enabling real estate operators to encroach upon the canal bunds from Gollapudi to Mustabada. Recently, one realtor reportedly occupied the canal bund stretch between Nunna and KV Kandrika and converted it into a road for his private venture. As per irrigation and land protection rules, no construction or road formation is permitted on canal bunds, which are classified as valuable government property worth crores of rupees.