The hyderabad High Court on Tuesday directed the state of AP and its authorities to stop all construction and development activity on the Thotlakonda Buddhist site near Bheemunipatnam of Visakhapatnam district. The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A Shankar Narayana pronounced this interim order after hearing a public interest petition filed by retired professor K Thimma Reddy, heritage activist and environmentalist L Rani Sarma Emani and Sarada Channapragada who questioned the rationale behind the decision of the state in allotting 15 acres at this site to Film Nagar Cultural Cenre (FNCC), Visakhapatnam. On the grounds that it will destroy the archaeological and historical monument.
Stop all construction and development activity immediately, the bench told the state of AP and also the FNCC.
"This interim order is essential because, if this court feel that, after the final hearing, there is no harm to the archaelogical site by the construction activity, you can construct the cultural centre here. But, on the contrary, if we come to a conclusion that this cannot be allowed at all then by that time, this archaelogical monument may disappear on account of your development activity." the bench said.
The petitioners told the court that the state government issued a notification declaring the entire hill of Thotlakonda as a protected monument under the Andhra Pradesh Ancient and Historical Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act However, later, it allotted 15 acres from the site to Film Nagar Cultural Centre is this area. The Master Plan for Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Voda) has identified thet Thotlakonda Hills as conservation zone that disallows any construction on the sites as per Land Use Zoning Repulations. The bench made it clear that no construction shall take place within the boundaries notified in the areas as was specified in a G0627 issued in 1978. The bench said that all development activities are also not permitted.
The bench issued notices to the state revenue secretary, archaeological authorities and also to FNCC directing their counter affidavits. The petitioners also so spected a foulplay being chestrated by the officials to mislead the court in respect of survey numbers."They told the court that the protected monument falls within the survey number of 314.
Now, probably with some ulterior motive, the officials have curved out two survey numbers, 395 and 413. For a person who takes a rough glimpse at the records, he will think that the area that is carrying the protected monument is intact, In reality, the FNCC into the Budhist site and will so it," the cousel for the petitioners said. The bench sought explanasion from the authorities and directed FNCC and the officials to stop forther with all construction and development of any sort on the site.