ONGOLE: Protesting the delay in completion of the Velugonda project works, YSRC’s former MP Y V Subba Reddy launched his padayatra from Kanigiri to the project site on Wednesday.
Accompanied by YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s political secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, other leaders and party activists, Subba Reddy kicked off the padayatra after addressing a public meeting.
Addressing the gathering, Ramakrishna Reddy said CM N Chandrababu Naidu neglected the project after coming to power.
Subba Reddy said Naidu’s government was not able to complete works for the three-kilometre-long tunnel since the past four years and sufficient funds were not allocated for it in the budget.YSRC’s Markapuram MLA J Venkata Reddy said that as per his promise if the CM released water before ‘sankranthi’ he would quit politics.
The Velugonda project has became a top priority for the ruling TDP and Opposition YSRC’s agenda. The project, which is meant to solve drinking and irrigation water problems permanently in the western part of Prakasam and also part of Kadapa and Nellore districts, has now become an election plank between the parties.
During his recent Ongole visit on July 28, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he would visit the Velugonda project once in every month to monitor and review progress in work of the project.
The former YSRC MP set off on his padayatra to pressurise the government for speedy completion of the Velugonda project and to highlight the corruption in the project.