Work on retaining wall in Krishnalanka gathers pace

Workers demolishing houses of people who were relocated elsewhere to make way for the retaining wall, at Krishnalanka in Vijayawada on Tuesday. (Source: K.V.S. GIRI)

The works for the construction of a flood protection wall between the Krishnalanka area and the Krishna river are under way.

As part of it, some encroachments were being removed to provide a clear site for the retaining wall construction. VMC officials allocated houses through a draw to 168 families relocated from the area on Tuesday.

The encroachments were identified and residents were compensated and rehabilitated, according to government officials. Over 524 houses and other structures were removed to pave the way for the construction of the wall.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for the construction of the 1.5 km- long retaining wall on March 31.

The project taken up by the Water Resources Department will protect over 3,000 households and 31,000 people living in the low-lying areas of Ranigari Thota, Bhupesh Gupta Nagar, Taraka Rama Nagar and other localities of Krishnalanka prone to flooding. The project cost was estimated at ₹122.90 crore.