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Hiccups for Chiru’s public meeting in Tirupati

— Photo: K.V. Poornachandra Kumar

WORK IS ON: Earthmovers clearing shrubs in ‘Avilala Cheruvu’ in Tirupati on Wednesday.

TIRUPATI: The public meeting planned to be held on a grand scale in the temple city to announce the mega-launch of film star Chiranjeevi’s political party has run into rough weather, with the Intellectual Forum of Tirupati requesting the government not to allow the meeting in ‘Avilala Cheruvu’, the proposed venue of the meet. The forum has cited a Supreme Court verdict issued in 2006 directing the authorities to maintain status quo on the tank.

Chiranjeevi’s event managers had initially zeroed in on ‘Tiruchanur Cheruvu’ and later on ‘Avilala Cheruvu’ -- two dried-up tanks located south of Tirupati for holding the party’s maiden public meeting.

Work on clearing the shrubs and thorny bushes had already begun by pressing earthmovers into service. It was then that the forum alerted the Chief Secretary, the Collector and the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) chairman about the verdict, seeking their immediate intervention.

It was on this Avilala Cheruvu that the Congress party’s plenary sessions were held in the year 1992 by filling the tank bed on a war-footing. The forum had moved the High Court in 1994 praying for restoration of the ancient water body and direction to the government not to allow any activities on it in future, but however lost the case. Later, it approached the Supreme Court, which delivered the judgment (No.1251 of 2006 dt. 23-02-2006) directing the government to maintain status quo on Avilala tank.

In a message flashed to the Collector, the forum’s secretary has requested him not to allot the tank for any activities that would endanger the water body. He also cautioned that failure to protect the tank could amount to contempt of court.

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