BRS leaders have called for the cancellation of a proposed open cast mining project near the UNESCO Heritage site of Ramappa Temple in Mulugu District. They voiced their concerns during a press conference held on Thursday.
MLC Pochampally Srinivas Reddy and party leader Vasudeva Reddy spoke about the potential harm that mining could cause to the historic site. They stressed that Ramappa Temple’s status as a world heritage location could be at risk if mining activities proceed.
Srinivas Reddy highlighted that the temple, built during the reign of Pratap Rudra, had been neglected in the past, especially during the undivided Andhra Pradesh era. However, it gained UNESCO recognition due to the efforts of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).
He also accused the state government of secretly trying to start coal mining near the temple. Reddy mentioned that the Union Culture Ministry had previously stepped in to stop similar plans. He added that KCR had originally wanted to bring water to the area through a tunnel, but after warnings that this could impact the temple, they decided to use a pipeline instead.
The BRS leader concluded by stating that the party is prepared to take legal action to prevent the mining from happening.
