District officials in Edlapadu Mandal in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur District are allowing land encroachment and illegal construction activities by a Church to proceed unhindered, despite several complaints from locals and concerned citizen-activists.
The Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) had written to the Centre on Tuesday, March 2, asking for immediate action against the illegal construction of a church and the erection of a 40 feet tall cross at Errakonda Hill in Edlapadu Mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh. Both structures are built on encroached land.
Writing to Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister of Mines, the LRPF had detailed the facts of the case so far. The letter asked for urgent action to remove the illegal structures constructed at the encroached site and impose penalties on the church and organisations who committed the crime. The letter also sought a departmental enquiry and action against concerned public authorities who intentionally ignored the unauthorised construction even after umerous complaints were made.
In response to this letter and the subsequent media attention that was focused on this issue, the Sub-Collector of Narasaraopet has alleged that the Christian shrine belonging to RCM Church was already present in Edlapadu village on Errakonda Hill.
In a press release, the Sub-Collector, Narasaraopet mentioned that an application was submitted by RCM Church for the construction of steps to reach the existing shrine. However, no details on whether this shrine had the necessary permissions and authorisations were given in the press release. Neither were any details on the application for the construction of steps given in the press release, such as the date of the aforementioned application.
Following the press release by the Sub-Collector, the LRPF has again written to the Collector of Guntur District and the Centre regarding this issue.
“With reference to the Press Release dated 02.03.2021 released by the Sub-Collector of Narasaraopet, we wish to bring to your notice the following instances of complaints lodged with various revenue and other government officials against encroachment and unauthorized constructions at Errakonda Hill at Edlapadu Mandal, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh. We also wish to bring to your kind notice, the acts of Roman Catholic Church, Edlapadu Parish, Guntur Diocese which is behind the encroachments which have started on 21st October 2020”, the letter, a copy of which is with The Commune, states.
“As such how a gigantic cross of 40ft was allowed to be installed at the top of the hill? When was the application for construction of steps submitted?”, the letter asks.
Alleging a collaboration between the perpetrators of the land encroachment and the district officials, the letter also states that it is inconceivable that revenue officials were unaware of large earth-moving equipment, working for days together, at the hill.
Our rejoinder to the Press Release by Sub Collector, Narasaraopet Division, Guntur on Illegal encroachment of Mining Hill & unauthorized installation of Cross: Timeline of the development events: (1/n) pic.twitter.com/IVTZoVQIuJ
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) March 4, 2021
The letter by the LRPF further points out that Father Kodavati Bose, who belongs to the Church behind the alleged land encroachment, even posted a video on Facebook on 26 February 2021 showing the installation of the 40 feet tall cross on the hill. In the video, he also mentioned that the grand inauguration of the Cross will take place on 15 March and will be held with the blessings of Rev. Bishop Bhagaiah. He further extended an open invitation to all to attend the event.
On 10 November 2020, Kodavati Bose had posted on Facebook that the construction of steps in the area had started. However, from recent photographs, it is seen that steps are yet to be constructed. What measures were taken to stop this unauthorised construction, the letter asks.
On 6 December 2020, a public prayer event was organised on a grand scale by Kodavati Bose on the same hill. Photographs of the event, which were uploaded to Facebook, show that a large tract of the land had been levelled, indicating that preparations were then underway to install the cross. No attempt was made to stop the encroachment on the Errakonda hill.
The LRPF’s letter also alleges that this was a well-planned operation to occupy the hill, going back months. On 21 October 2020, Kodavati Bose had, in a Facebook post, announced that “major work” on the Rahadhari Maatha Punya Kshetram had begun.
In a Facebook video posted on 6 January 2021, Kodavati Bose says that complaints were received against the construction activities of the parish on Errakonda hill, and adds that he was asked to halt the construction. However, after talks with revenue officials, construction has commenced again, he says. In the video, he mentions that he has taken permission from officials of the Mines department and also informed the Mandal Revenue Officer of his intention to go ahead with the construction of shrine and the erection of the cross at the top of the hill.
However, on 18 January 2021, an RTI query revealed that no permissions of any kind were issued by Tahsildhar of Edlapadu Mandal for the construction of any religious structure on Errakonda Hill, which according to records, spans an area of 85.5 acres. This information of no permissions having been granted for construction on the hills is in direct contradiction to the aforementioned press release by the Sub-Collector, Narasaraopet, which mentions the shrine as already having been built and mentions that permission was sought to build the steps to the shrine.
The RTI query also stated that action would be taken as per Encroachment Act 1905 on any construction that was noticed on Errakonda Hills.
However, land encroachments and unauthorised construction obviously continue in the area.
Despite full knowledge of the illegal construction activities by the Roman Catholic Church’s Edlapadu Parish right from October of last year, the district administration turned a blind eye to the situation. The lush green hills are now destroyed, encroachment is rampant and unauthorised constructions are springing up in the area.
The laws of the land stand violated and the culprits get away with impunity ―and, lots of land. The LRPF’s complaints to the Centre have not resulted in any response so far either.
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