Amaravati, Aug 28 (IANS) YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) on Friday accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of trying to hijack credit for the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project by projecting the historic work done under YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as his own.
YSRCP SC Cell State President and former MLA TJR Sudhakar Babu told media persons at the YSRCP Central Office in Tadepalli that Veligonda was designed to provide irrigation to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to 15.25 lakh people across 30 mandals in Prakasam, Nellore and YSR Kadapa districts.
Sudhakar Babu said Chandrababu laid the foundation stone on March 5, 1996, but did practically nothing thereafter till 2004. It was YSR who revived the project under Jalayagnam, introduced the second tunnel, brought the comprehensive DPR, and developed the Nallamala Sagar dams, feeder channel and major project components. Between 2004 and 2014, 20.33 km of tunnelling was completed, 11.58 km in Tunnel-1 and 8.74 km in Tunnel-2.
In contrast, only about 6.6 km was excavated during Chandrababu’s 2014–19 tenure. Under YS Jagan, the remaining tunnel works moved at far greater speed. Tunnel-1 progressed at 4.12 metres per day compared with 2.41 metres under Chandrababu, while Tunnel-2 progressed at about 7.27 metres per day compared with 1.31 metres. Sudhakar Babu said YSR and Jagan together completed over 85 per cent of the project works, and Jagan dedicated the twin tunnels to the nation on March 6, 2024.
He questioned why Chandrababu was preparing to inaugurate again a project already dedicated by YS Jagan. He also demanded immediate payment of Rs 112 crore compensation to 758 eligible displaced families and challenged Chandrababu to make Veligonda the sole referendum issue in Yerragondapalem, Markapuram, Giddalur, Kanigiri and Darsi.
Meanwhile, addressing a separate press conference, YSRCP spokesperson Karumuri Venkata Reddy said welfare and development had come to a standstill in the 26 months of the coalition government, while debt, corruption, wasteful expenditure and misuse of public money continued unchecked.
He said the government had burdened the people with Rs 3.86 lakh crore in debt, borrowing an average of Rs 14,859 crore a month, Rs 495 crore a day and Rs 20.68 crore an hour.
He said the coalition had borrowed around Rs 2.18 lakh crore within the Budget, Rs 1.20 lakh crore through corporations and another Rs 47,000 crore in the name of Amaravati, surpassing in two years the Rs 3.31 lakh crore added during the previous five-year YSRCP government. Yet funds were unavailable for Aadabidda Nidhi, unemployment allowance and other promised schemes.
Karumuri said borrowings under YS Jagan had clear public outcomes; Rs 4.58 lakh crore reached people through DBT and non-DBT welfare. At the same time, government schools, hostels and hospitals were modernised under Nadu-Nedu, 17 medical colleges were initiated, five completed, and ports, fishing harbours and village secretariats were created.
In contrast, he said public money was now being spent on publicity and luxury: Rs 3.44 crore on the CM’s temporary residence, Rs 5.40 crore on decorative lighting, Rs 7.18 crore on the Delhi bungalow and meeting hall, Rs 9.20 crore on bullet-proof vehicles, and Rs 110 crore on aircraft and helicopters. Around Rs 1,500 crore had been earmarked for advertisements over two years.
He also cited expenditure on public events, consultants, advisers, legal fees, high-cost Amaravati works and contracts, saying the government claimed there was no money for welfare while spending crores on publicity, travel, ceremonies and political promotion.
–IANS
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