Congress leaders allege soil mafia by ruling party leaders, contractors

Patancheru: The Congress leaders of Patancheru mandal in Sangareddy district alleged that some leaders and contractors including Bhanur village who belong to the ruling TRS party have been involved in ‘soil mafia’ by excavating the tanks and kuntas beyond the prescribed level of fertility soil in the garb of desilting and rejuvenation of the micro irrigation projects under Mission Bhagiratha project in the mandal. The contractors and the leaders of the ruling party are digging the soil beyond the depth of fertility soil from the tanks and transporting it for private purpose for plotting and roads.

Speaking to The Hans India, the Bhanur Congress party president Yadagiri and other village leaders said the contractors were excavating the tanks including our village tank ‘Bathukunta’ in the Survey No 87 by making huge cavities and deep well-liked holes and selling the black soil for private purpose by transporting it to the faraway places using tractors instead of using for local agriculture lands for to fertilise them.

Some men, with the support of ruling TRS party including the Sangareddy MLA, have started illegal constructions under the Full Tank Level (FTL) limits of the ‘Bathukunta’ water body under the limits of Bhanur gram panchayat by flouting the Development Control Rules (DCR) that prohibit the constructions within a specified distance from any water body, said the Congress leaders Ambari Srinivas and Utla Narsimlu. With the illegal constructions and excavations in the water body by the local TRS men, our village tank is threatened to the pollution and life threat for the fishermen and women during Bathukamma festival by the treacherous deep diggings in the tank using excavators.

The law states that if an applicant proposes to locate any plot for a building within 15m from the boundary of the channel/ water course and water body like tank, kunta, etc., a no-objection (NOC) certificate from the commissioner/executive officer/executive authority of the local body has to be obtained.

The Rule states that even if the building or construction is located within 15 metres of any tank, reservoir, water-course, river, fresh water channel or well, it should carry out necessary measures to prevent contamination of any drainage from the building passing into the water body. According to GO No 168, the rule says, construction are prohibited from 30m from the FTL boundary of lakes/tanks / kuntas of area 10Ha and above, 9m from the FTL boundary of lakes / tanks / kuntas of area less than 10Ha / shikam lands, 9m from the defined boundary of canal, vagu, nala, storm water drain of width more than 10m and 2m from the defined boundary of canal, vagu, nala, storm water drain of width up to 10m.

Even as the government is spending crores of money for the rejuvenation of minor and micro irrigation projects to provide sustainable irrigation water for the farming sector, the Congress leaders also alleged that the local public representatives, who had colluded with the revenue and agriculture officials, have been making crores of money by the illegal practice of soil mafia. They demanded the government to take the actions to curb the illegal practices by the TRS men in the village and the district as well to protect the water bodies.