Ongole: Plea to CMs to act tough on gambling clubs

Ongole: Expressing anguish over the increase in gambling clubs near Andhra Pradesh and Telangana borders, Telugu Film Producers Council of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Telugu Yuvasakti founding president Kethireddy Jagadishwar Reddy advised the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to take initiative to write to the Chief Ministers of neighbouring States, to close these irregular and illegal gambling centres.

Speaking to the media here on Sunday, Jagadishwar Reddy explained that both AP and Telangana States prohibited the operation of gambling that were being run in the name of recreation clubs long ago. However, for the last few months, some gangs are operating gambling clubs in localities near the borders and attracting the gamblers from Telugu States. He mentioned that Kunta of Chhattisgarh, Yanam of Puducherry and Chennai of Tamil Nadu became dens for gambling and hundreds of people from the neighbouring districts of Telangana and AP, including erstwhile Khammam, Nalgonda, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna, Visakhapatnam, Chittoor, Nellore and Prakasam districts are visiting these clubs daily, and ruining their families. He said that the governments can understand the impact of the gambling centres sprouted in these places, by studying the incidents of suicide attempts and people losing their assets to the money lenders.

Jagadishwar Reddy informed that they have complained about the gambling dens to Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister N Rangasamy and Home Minister A Namassivayam, and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and requested them to take action on the illegally operating centres. He thanked the LG and Chief Ministers for taking action and closing some of them. He said that he will be meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also to request to take similar action.

Meanwhile, Jagadishwar Reddy requested the Chief Ministers of AP and TS, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and K Chandrashekar Rao respectively, also to write to their counterparts requesting for the shutdown of illegal gambling activity in the neighbouring places of Telugu States.

He also announced that they are going to organise a protest soon at Sullurpet, demanding the AP and TN governments to take action on the gambling dens at the State bordering places and shutdown them immediately, to save the families from the coastal and Rayalaseema districts.