About 30 tribal villages - 20 in East Godavari district and 10 in West Godavari - plunged into darkness on Thursday when authorities removed cables that supply them power from the Polavaram Sub Station in order to facilitate the landing of chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s helicopter on Friday.
According to sources, authorities removed power cables from the sub-station, which is located at the proposed spillway of the Indirasagar Polavaram Project, as they were coming in the way of the helicopter’s descent path to the helipad which was constructed for the chief minister.
It is learnt that the authorities obtained the permission of the higher-ups before removing the cables. The officials have assured the villagers that the power supply would be resumed after the chief minister leaves Friday afternoon.
Kiran Kumar will visit West Godavari for three days from Friday as part of his Indiramma Baata to interact with people and learn the problems they face and whether the government’s welfare schemes are reaching the deserving.