SRIKAKULAM: In a heart-rending incident, a couple ended their lives at Ampolu village in Gara mandal on Saturday night. They were identified as Kolli Appa Rao (40) and his wife Lalitha (35), according to Gara SI Ch Ganga Raju and Srikakulam One-Town CI P. Paidapu Naidu.
Srikakulam MLA Gondu Sankar visited RIMS Hospital, consoled Divya, daughter of the deceased and promised to look after her welfare by adopting her.
District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar announced immediate relief. “We have granted Rs 2 lakh as initial assistance and will try to provide another Rs 3 lakh shortly,” he said.
Appa Rao, who was visually impaired, had been receiving a monthly pension of Rs 6,000 under the disabled quota.
Lalitha worked as a weaver and earned a similar amount. Appa Rao became dependent on his pension after his lecturer job. The family’s situation worsened after the recent death of his mother.
His elder brother, a railway engineer in Jharkhand, allegedly pressured him to vacate their ancestral house, which Appa Rao had developed.
Meanwhile, he also received a notice from Gara MPDO E Raghu regarding the cancellation of his pension, citing ineligibility. Later, the MPDO clarified that the notice was issued as part of a re-verification process.