Vigilance to probe quarrying on Simhachalam hill

By Express News Service

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Vigilance and Enforcement Department has been ordered to conduct a detailed inquiry into illegal quarrying on the hill of Simhachalam Devasthanam and submit a report in two months.

Special Chief Secretary of Endowments JSV Prasad issued an order stating that the Vigilance and Enforcement Department will conduct a detailed inquiry into allegations levelled against the then executive officer of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam M Venkateswara Rao regarding illegal quarrying.

The Endowments Special Commissioner has been asked to hand over all the records to the Vigilance and Enforcement Department. The Special Chief Secretary asked the Director General of Vigilance ato conduct an inquiry into allegations against Venkateswara Rao pertaining to illegal quarrying and other irregularities committed by him.

Earlier, the Joint Commissioner of Endowments, who conducted field inspection, along with Endowments Regional Joint Commissioner of Rajamahendravaram, Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Visakhapatnam, in his report stated that they found quarrying at three places on the hill slopes without the knowledge and involvement of engineering staff of the temple and also in violation of the master plan. The then executive officer did not obtain prior permission from the Endowments Commissioner for quarrying. The EO had allowed a donor to take away gravel worth Rs  10 lakh to Rs  15 lakh from the hill.

A 200 metre length of the hill was cut by the donors at the behest of the then EO on the pretext of developing a parking lot. The quarrying of the hill was done in April and May when lockdown was in force.

The Joint Commissioner, in his report, also stated that the continuation of the executive officer was detrimental to the interests of the temple. Following the report, the State government surrendered Venkateswara Rao to his parent department of revenue.

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