Prakasam youth take the fight for Veligonda to Varanasi

Kanigiri: The Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project Sadhana Samithi members took the fight on fluorosis and drought in the western Prakasam, Kadapa and Nellore districts to Varanasi and filed nomination papers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project, when completed, can solve the age-old drinking and irrigation water problem in Prakasam, Nellore, and Kadapa districts.

It is expected to draw 43.58 tmcft of flood water from Krishna river through Srisailam reservoir, when the water level reaches 256.032 metres. That can help nearly 4.47 lakh acres of land fully utilised, 15.25 lakh people savor the water, and also help people get rid of fluoride problem. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation of the project on March 5, 1996 and promised to complete the project in five years, but it is left incomplete even after 23 years.

The project was estimated to be completed with an expenditure of Rs 1,550 crore at the time of foundation, but now the budget is raised to nearly Rs 6,000 crore and its construction is halted due to non-availability of funds. Vadde Srinivas and his schoolmates at Botlaguduru in Pamuru mandal of Kanigiri Assembly constituency are active members of the Pula Subbaiah Velugonda Project Sadhana Samithi.

They are demanding that the government should ensure speedy completion of the Veligonda Project by allocating enough funds to save hundreds of people dying due to fluorosis and chronic kidney diseases every year. Srinivas, president of the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Sadhana Samithi, said that they have taken up the issue to all political parties in the State and sought their cooperation.

But their efforts didn't return any results. After getting vexed up with the non-responsive system in the State, they have decided to grab the nationwide attention by contesting in the general elections, Srinivas said.

Samithi members Srinivas and Kolluri Ravikiran Sharma from Botlaguduru and Jalagam Sudheer from Nalgonda district filed the nominations in Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ignite a nationwide discussion in the media on fluorosis and how it is ruining the lives of thousands of people in the two districts.

The other members also announced that they are going to compete in the local body elections in Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts to poke the political parties and build up pressure on the government.