TUDA moots Operation Swarna to rescue, revive, rejuvenate River Swarnamukhi

The Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) has announced Operation SWARNA (Swarnamukhi Waterbody Action for River and Nala Awareness), a massive plan to rescue the River Swarnamukhi from the clutches of land grabbers, revive its flow area and rejuvenate it to ensure sustenance.

Swarnamukhi river flows eastwards from Pakala for a distance of 130 km to join the Bay of Bengal. In the process, it flows south of the temple city of Tirupati and also touches Srikalahasti.

The proposal in pipeline, which has even secured the nod from Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, is to have a task force headed by TUDA Vice-Chairman, with enough teeth and claws on the lines of Hyderabad’s HYDRAA, to remove encroachments, bring the land sharks to book and punish the erring officials who had a culpable role.

Addressing the media here on Monday, TUDA Chairman ‘Dollars’ C. Divakar Reddy announced the contours of the project, which is claimed to be the first such massive operation taken up in the State to free water bodies from encroachers.

He said a drone survey would be taken up from Thondavada to Srikalahasti, covering a distance of 50-70 km, in order to fix the river’s boundary and mark 50 metres on either side of its flow area, before zeroing in on encroachments.

“The erstwhile YSRCP rulers occupied streams, tanks, canals and even graveyards, cheated the public by registering the said water bodies using fake (adjoining) survey numbers. When the 2021 floods washed away their houses, the victims had no documentary evidence to claim and no house to live in,” he alleged.

Mr. Reddy invited whistleblowers and victims to complain about officials or public representatives, right from Sarpanch to MLA, who had cheated them by taking money and got the land registered.

Apart from TUDA, the Irrigation, Survey and Revenue departments are likely to be roped into the project for coordination. “A formal Bhumi Puja will be performed soon at Mukkoti Agastheswara temple, the confluence of three rivers near Thondavada, to kickstart the project,” he said.

Beautification too

The project also involves river front beautification at Tiruchanur, near Goddess Padmavathi Ammavari temple, in tune with the Chief Minister’s wish to make it a tourist hub.

“A culvert will be built to slow down the water flow, where devotees can wash their hands and legs before proceeding to the temple. This not only adds a sacred touch, but also improves the tourist footfall,” he added.