'Illegal constructions' of Congress leaders bulldozed in Tenali

TENALI: In what could be a fitting reply to municipal administration minister Maheedhar Reddy for taking them to task at a review meeting last week, the municipal staff started bulldozing alleged illegal constructions of the ruling party leaders.
Curiously, they began with demolishing a building owned by personal assistant of local legislator and deputy speaker Nadendla Manohar.On Tuesday, the municipal staff earmarked the buildings owned by former municipal chairperson Tadiboina Mastanamma and vice-chairman Janaki Ramachandra Rao. While Ramachandra Rao is said to be very close to Manohar, Mastanamma is also a Congress leader.
In all, the municipal officials identified 48 buildings in the town, mostly owned by powerful politicians, as illegal structures and the drive against such structures seems to have been launched with a mission to teach a lesson to all. During the review meeting in Tenali last week, Maheedhar made sarcastic comments against the municipal staff and blamed them for having turned the town known as 'Paris of Andhra' into a drainage canal.
He stated that he would not spare anyone who would not work and try to bring a legislation to transfer the long-standing municipal staff in the civic bodies. He said that no-transfer rule in the local bodies was making the staff lethargic and habitual offenders of the law.
Exactly a week later, the authorities showed their might and began demolishing the structures right from the top. The municipal officials have already demolished a three-storyed building owned by Venkateswara Rao, local PA of Manohar. Venkateswara Rao's brothers, who reside in the US, are said to have also constructed three apartments in violation of the rules. These buildings have also been earmarked for destruction on Tuesday.
Among other significant structures that were bulldozed by the civic staff were a five-storyed building owned by former municipal chairperson T Mastanamma on the railway station road and a three-storyed structure owned by former vice-chairman Janaki Ramachandra Rao on VRR College Road. Municipal commissioner S Venkata Krishna is personally monitoring the bulldozing exercise.
According to sources, the municipal commissioner had asked all his staff members to switch-off their mobiles till the operation was completed. There was mild tension when the municipal staff reached the building owned by Mastanamma to earmark for demolition. However, the municipal staff continued their job with the help of police and court orders.