Coordination key to Chittoor’s comprehensive devpt: Minister

Chittoor: In a call for unified action, Chittoor District in-charge and State Transport, Youth Services, and Sports Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy emphasised that coordination among public representatives and officials is critical to en-suring comprehensive development in Chittoor district.

He chaired the District Review Committee meeting on Sunday, attended by District Collector Sumit Kumar, MPs, MLAs, MLCs and other senior officials.

During the meeting, the Minister outlined ongoing devel-opment projects, highlighting the repair of 17 canals with World Bank and MSP funds worth Rs 15 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year, of which seven projects have been complet-ed, benefiting 2,740 acres of agricultural land.

He announced the development of industrial parks in Kup-pam, Vijayapuram’s Kosala Nagaram, Palamaner and Ven-kataramapuram in Chittoor as part of the region’s indus-trial growth strategy. The Minister reaffirmed his commit-ment to elevating Chittoor in sectors like agriculture, edu-cation, healthcare, irrigation, employment and industry.

Calling the current government ‘people-friendly’, he urged officials to maintain a positive rapport with the public and ensure welfare initiatives reach those in need. He also stressed the importance of resolving land issues affecting poor farmers and maintaining quality standards for infra-structure, particularly CC roads.

Chittoor MP Daggumalla Prasad Rao suggested leveraging drone technology in agriculture and improving farmers’ awareness of crop insurance. He advocated for soil testing to guide farmers in selecting suitable crops and promised to work with the Union Ministers to secure funds for Chit-toor.

District Collector Sumit Kumar reported receiving 20,000 grievances under the PGRS system, with 70 per cent re-lated to revenue issues such as road access, land muta-tions and encroachments. He announced a 33-day cam-paign of village meetings to address these problems.

MLC Kancharla Srikanth highlighted the establishment of a Rs 10-crore Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence in Kuppam, which recently won the prestigious SKOCH award. He called for more staff to boost the centre’s productivity and ensure proper water-tank maintenance in villages.

GD Nellore MLA V M Thomas urged officials to help mango and sugarcane farmers receive fair prices. Chittoor MLA Gurujala Jaganmohan called for better farmer education, while Puthalapattu MLA K Murali Mohan sought solutions for forest-related land issues in tribal villages. ZP Chair-man Govindappa Srinivasulu, DRO K Mohan Kumar and others also spoke on the occasion.

The meeting reviewed the performance of departments like agriculture, horticulture, sericulture, Panchayat Raj, education and rural water supply with senior officials pledging to enhance coordination and efficiency.

Photo caption: Minister M Ramprasad Reddy ad-dressing the DRC meeting in Chittoor on Sunday. Collector Sumit Kumar, ZP Chairman Govindappa Srinivasulu, MLC K Srikanth, MP D Prasada Rao and MLAs are seen.