‘Check illegal structures’

PNS|Bhimavaram

District Collector P Prasanthi has directed the town planning officials to take steps to check illegal constructions and ensure that parking places were not used for other purposes.

The Collector held a meeting with the municipal officials and reviewed various issues including illegal constructions, parking problems, and the development of drains.

Speaking on the occasion, she said that it is the responsibility of the town planning officials to prevent illegal constructions within the respective wards. She also told them that parking space should not be used for any other purposes. The commercial and hospital buildings must have space for vehicle parking. “Action will be taken, if constructions are undertaken without allocating space for vehicle parking,” she warned.

She said that for the development of roads, drains, and parks in the city, 49 works had been sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crore. Out of them, 24 works had not yet started, she said, and expressed anger on the municipal engineers concerned for the delay in starting all the sanctioned works.

On this occasion, Collector Prasanthi said that the main thoroughfares in Bhimavaram were being widened by using paver blocks. She said that roads were being widened with paver blocks only to regulate vehicular traffic and the entire drain to drive area on both sides of the road should be used only for vehicular movement.

Collector Prasanthi warned that the responsibility of controlling the illegal structures and allocating parking places lies with the Planning Secretary and action would be taken if they were indifferent in their duties. Municipal commissioner T Sivaramakrishna, municipal engineer P Trinadha Rao and DE TV Narayana Rao, and K Raja Rao were among those who were present.