Officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) 10{+t}{+h}Battalion have begun a search for a suitable piece of land in Krishna and Guntur districts to set up a permanent base camp and administrative office.
The battalion was operating from Mangalagiri in Guntur district and the administrative office was set up on Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU) campus. Recently, the State government had issued orders to the NDRF asking it to vacate the 50-acre site, to accommodate the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Recently, the NDRF officials inspected a 140-acre stretch at Agiripalli in Krishna district, which they felt would be suitable for setting up the base camp as well as the administrative block.
The NDRF had appealed to the State government to allot 100 acres under the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) at Amaravati. The officials had refused land which was offered by the government at Yedlapadu village in Chilakaluripet mandal in Guntur district, stating that the site lacked rail, road and air connectivity.
Officials of Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) were also holding discussions with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu seeking suitable land for the force in Guntur or Krishna districts.
“The land between Gannavaram and Agiripalli is under cultivation. We requested the government to allot us land which was free from any legal problems. Once the State government identifies a permanent site, administrative buildings, base camp, hospital, school, dormitories, vehicle depot-cum-garage and a rest house for officers will come up,” a senior NDRF officer said.
Sites being inspected in Krishna and Guntur districts