Will approach NGT if A.P. government doesn’t come up with steps to protect ‘Erra Matti Dibbalu’ in 48 hours, says Pawan Kalyan

Calling for earmarking buffer zones to protect such rare geo-heritage sites, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan alleges that the State government is not at all concerned about it

Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan has set a 48-hour deadline to the Andhra Pradesh Government to come up with measures to protect the geo-heritage site, Erra Matti Dibbalu (red sand dunes), under the Bheemunipatnam constituency in the city.

As a part of his Varahi Yatra, Mr. Pawan Kalyan visited the site in the evening on August 16 (Wednesday). He was accompanied by, among others, party leaders Nadendla Manohar, Kona Tata Rao, and T. Siva Shankar.

“On one side of the site lands are being given to some ashram and layouts are being marked by the civic body on the other side,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said after inspecting the site. Such activities were turning out to be a threat to the naturally formed red sand dunes, he said.

“The red sand dunes are in an extent of about 292 acres. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the site. There should be a buffer zone to protect such sites. Measures such as arranging a fence should be immediately taken up,” he said.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan also said that if the government failed to respond and come up with a solution in the next 48 hours, the JSP would take up the issue with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the authorities concerned in the Union government.

The red sand dunes had been recognised as a rare geo-heritage site by the Geological Survey of India (GSI). In Asia, they could be found only in Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Tamil Nadu in India, and in Sri Lanka. “Instead of recognising and protecting such sites, the government has no concern for it at all,” he alleged.

The JSP chief also demanded that the Visakhapatnam district Collector respond to the issue.