VIJAYAWADA: Taking a serious view of the destruction of a newly constructed rural road built under the state government’s prestigious ‘Palle Panduga 3.0’ initiative, between two villages in Pullampeta mandal of Tirupati district, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Pawan Kalyan ordered stern legal action against those responsible, including filing non-bailable cases and invoking the Revenue Recovery (RR) Act to recover the damages.
Reviewing the incident with senior engineering officials of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department on Monday, Pawan Kalyan inquired into the destruction of a 100-meter stretch of the road laid between Ananthasamudram and Papakkagaripalle villages in Tirupati district.
Officials informed the Deputy Chief Minister that a YSRCP leader named Subba Reddy, with the assistance of another individual named Venkata Subba Reddy, used a tractor to intentionally plough up and ruin a 100-meter section of the road, which was constructed just a week ago at an estimated cost of `4.75 crore.
Following information provided by local villagers, an FIR was registered immediately. Officials assured that the accused would be arrested and produced before the magistrate by the evening. Directing officials on the course of action, he stated that public assets created using taxpayers’ money are meant for public convenience and their deliberate destruction is an unforgivable offence.
“Cases under non-bailable sections must be registered against those who destroyed the road. Strict action must be taken not only against the perpetrators on the ground but also against the political handlers behind them,” he instructed.