The Legal Rights Protection Forum has filed a formal complaint with the West Godavari District Collector, alleging large-scale violations of building and planning laws by the Calvary Temple Foundation, including the construction and operation of a church on land sanctioned exclusively for residential apartment use.
In a detailed representation dated February 7, 2026, addressed to the Collector and District Magistrate of West Godavari, the Forum has sought immediate demolition of what it describes as an “unauthorised religious structure” constructed at Kuchenapalli village in Tadepalligudem mandal, within the jurisdiction of the Eluru Urban Development Authority (EUDA).
Alleged Misuse Of Residential Approval
According to the complaint, EUDA had granted provisional approval on March 27, 2025, for construction of a Ground + One (G+1) residential apartment building over a total land extent of 24,388.58 square yards spread across multiple survey numbers. As a mandatory statutory condition, Calvary Temple Foundation, represented by Pola Lazarus Enoch, executed a mortgage deed on April 5, 2025, in favour of EUDA, mortgaging 10 per cent of the proposed built-up area along with proportionate undivided land share.
The Forum alleges that this mortgage was executed specifically to ensure compliance with residential land use and sanctioned building plans, and that any deviation would amount to a breach of statutory conditions.
However, the complaint claims that instead of constructing residential apartments, the Foundation has built and is operating a large church at the same site, conducting regular religious gatherings and public events. The Forum has cited videos uploaded on YouTube in November 2025, including inauguration and Christmas celebration footage, in which the structure is reportedly described as the “largest church in West Godavari district”.
Change Of Land Use, Safety Concerns Flagged
The Forum has alleged that the construction and use of the building as a church amounts to an illegal change of land use obtained through “misrepresentation and suppression of material facts”. It has further claimed that the building was never sanctioned as a public or semi-public assembly structure and does not comply with fire safety norms, parking requirements, access regulations, emergency exits, or National Building Code provisions applicable to places of public congregation.
The complaint also raises public interest concerns, including traffic congestion, illegal parking, noise pollution, and potential fire and life safety hazards, stating that the structure poses serious risks to public safety.
Undertakings Cited
In its representation, the Forum has pointed out that, as part of the building permission process, the applicant had given an undertaking authorising EUDA to demolish any unauthorised construction without prior notice and at the owner’s cost, if violations of the sanctioned plan were found. The present construction, it argues, squarely attracts those undertakings.
Demand For Immediate Action
The Legal Rights Protection Forum has urged the District Collector to direct immediate demolition of the unauthorised structure without issuing further notice, revoke the residential building permission allegedly obtained through misrepresentation, and initiate criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings against Calvary Temple Foundation for violations of law.
The complaint has requested that the matter be treated as urgent in the interest of planned urban development, lawful administration, and public safety. No official response from the district administration or the Calvary Temple Foundation was available at the time of filing this report.
