Ganta visits Erra Matti Dibbalu site, suggests formation of an expert committee to decide on future course of action

Bheemunipatnam MLA seeks immediate halt to land levelling near geo-heritage site, calls for expert committee formation.

Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao has sought that the digging and levelling of land, allotted to the Bheemunipatnam Mutually Aided Cooperative Society, near the geo-heritage site on the Beach Road, near Bheemunipatnam, should be stopped forthwith.

The MLA on Wednesday visited the site, which went viral on social media, following levelling of large tracts of land with machinery on Tuesday. He suggested that an expert committee should be formed under the chairmanship of the Collector before any further work on the site could be taken up. He sought clear demarcation of the boundaries of the cooperative society and the geo-heritage site.

While the society members were saying that they were allotted the land by the government, they had not taken permission for digging and levelling of the land. He wondered as to the reason for the inaction of the officials, though work on the land was going on for the past six months. He said that an enquiry was sought on the issue.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that the government would think of allotting alternative land to the housing society, if necessary, and the land in question would be utilised to promote tourism.

“The 373.95 acres of land in Survey no. 118 (alienated from S. No. 49/1) at Nerellavalasa village of Bheemunipatnam mandal was allotted to the Bheemunipatnam Mutually Aided Cooperative Building Society in August 1979. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) had declared 91.50 acres of land in S. No. 118/1,3, 4 as ‘geo-heritage site’ on July 12, 2016. This land was excluded and the remaining 280.70 acres was allotted to them,” according to an official statement issued by the RDO on Wednesday evening.

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) had issued a temporary layout permission to the housing society on April, 10, 2023 for 242.47 acres. Subsequently, the applicants submitted the file again without fulfilling the conditions laid down in the temporary layout permission.

The levelling and digging activity was stopped on Tuesday on the orders of the Collector. Orders were issued to the Bheemunipatnam MRO, VRO of Nerellavalasa and village surveyors to not allow further activity on the site.