Vijayawada: ‘Rs 216-cr plan for Durga temple development only to hoodwink devotees’

Vijayawada : Vice-president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Kolanukonda Sivaji on Friday pooh-poohed the announcement of the plan by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to spend Rs 216 crore for the development of Kanaka Durga temple.

Addressing the media here, Sivaji said the Chief Minister on Thursday inaugurated development works worth only Rs 12 crore which were undertaken during the last four-and-a-half years. Some of the works which were inaugurated were incomplete, he pointed out. Sivaji recalled that the Chief Minister had announced in the past that Rs 70 crore would be spent for the temple development. However, only Rs 15 crore was spent and nobody knows what happened to the rest of Rs 55 crore. He demanded the government to clarify whether the Rs 55 crore was included in the Rs 216 crore or not.

The State government should also clarify whether a detailed project report was prepared for the alternative ghat road from Kummaripalem. Even the ghats on the bank of river Krishna were not cleaned much to the inconvenience of the devotees, he recalled.

Sivaji demanded the appointment of an IAS officer for Durga temple for better administration.

Sivaji came down heavily on the government for its failure in undertaking relief programmes for the victims of cyclone. Kapu Cell Krishna district president Allam Rajesh was also present.