High Court slams partial removal of illegal structures in Vizag beach

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has expressed strong dissatisfaction over the partial removal of illegal concrete structures in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) limits of Visakhapatnam, undertaken by Neha Reddy, daughter of former MP Vijayasai Reddy.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Jana Sena Corporator Peethala Murthy Yadav, the court took a serious view of the violations and the negligence in executing the removal of structures that flouted CRZ norms. The court objected to the removal of only the visible wall while leaving the underground portions intact.

“Why was this not mentioned in the report?” the bench questioned, directing authorities to completely remove the remaining structures hidden under the sand. Additionally, the court ordered GVMC to recover the cost of demolishing the illegal structures from Neha Reddy’s company.

It also directed the Union Environment Ministry to form a committee to assess environmental damage caused by the concrete constructions and recover compensation accordingly. The court instructed officials to file a police complaint against the private company responsible for the violations and ordered a survey of other illegal restobars violating CRZ norms near Bhimunipatnam.