Andhra Pradesh high court directs action against officials for allowing illegal wall in CRZ

Vijayawada: The high court on Thursday came down heavily on the GVMC commissioner for protecting erring officials who failed to prevent the construction of a concrete wall in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ). The court directed the principal secretary of municipal administration and urban development to identify the officials at fault and initiate departmental action against them.The HC bench headed by Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice R Raghunanadan Rao pulled up the GVMC commissioner for not furnishing the details of officers responsible for allowing the construction of the wall at Bheemunipatnam beach in Visakhapatnam. A PIL was moved by Jana Sena corporator P Murthy Yadav, contending the inaction of GVMC officials in not taking any action to prevent illegal constructions in the ecologically sensitive CRZ area. The HC earlier directed the GVMC to demolish all illegal structures and imposed a penalty on Penaka Neha Reddy, daughter of former MP V Vijay Sai Reddy and owner of the said building.The court also directed the GVMC commissioner twice to submit the list of officials responsible for allowing the illegal construction. As the court's orders were not complied with on both occasions, the bench observed that the GVMC commissioner was trying to protect the erring officials. The HC also directed officials to remove all construction debris generated from the demolition of the concrete wall.In another PIL filed challenging the inaction of GVMC in removing four resto bars in the same CRZ area, the HC said a deeper examination was required in the matter, and the same will be taken up in the next hearing after four weeks.