UNITE TO SAVE PEDDHACHERUVU: KOVVALI VILLAGE'S 304 ACRE WATERBODY скачать в хорошем качестве

UNITE TO SAVE PEDDHACHERUVU: KOVVALI VILLAGE'S 304 ACRE WATERBODY

The waterbody in Kovvali village of Eluru district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India is the biggest testimony that even the vast waterbodies can get encroached upon and disappear when caste and class politics are embroiled. Spread over 304.7 acres, providing irrigation to thousands of acres and drinking water to Kovvali village for decades, this beautiful water tank, locally called as Peddhacheruvu (meaning large water tank), which is rich in biodiversity with the buzz of migratory birds swarming the surface from the Ramsar site of nearby Kolleru lake; has today been completely encroached without a trace. It’s apparent from the 1933 RSR record and 2016 AP State Stamps & Registration Department’s notification that 304.7 acres of water tank is in the list of prohibited lands and is a waterbody. With political support, 177 acres of waterbody land has been tampered as Christian lands and Dalit farmers have been illegally cultivating rice and even converted few acres in to aquatank. Opportunistic politicians and government employees who have joined hands with them violated the water conservation laws and the entire tank got engulfed where Dalits are illegally selling and buying the waterbody lands among themselves. On May 1, 2023, the Gramadeep Charitable Trust and the affected farmers filed a writ petition in the AP State High Court for restoration of 304.7 acre water body that got completely encroached with Dalits cultivating rice twice a year in its bed. The High Court bench responded by issuing an interim order on 8th May, 2023 ordering the Eluru district collector to submit a complete survey report on the 304.7 waterbody land. As many glaring facts came to light in the report given by the collector to the High Court, the court issued a stay order on August 6, 2024 stalling all activities of cultivation in the tank bed. However, while final verdict is pending in the high court, interim orders are defied using caste politics as a shield, the encroachers are continuing to cultivate rice and fish as usual. Silencing all the voices opposing the encroachment, they are indulging in serious threats. Come, let’s raise our voice against the encroachment of Peddhacheruvu, a waterbody that is the lifeline of Kovvali village. Let’s unite and join hands to protect the waterbody for a sustainable future.