ONGOLE: Emotional scenes played out at Gantavanipalli in Dornala mandal on Monday afternoon as the decades-long dream of the drought-prone and fluoride-affected Markapuram region turned into reality.
As Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu—accompanied by a local farmer and a local woman—opened the feeder canal regulator gates, Krishna River waters surged through twin tunnels toward the Nallamala Sagar reservoir.
The historic moment drew cheers and happy tears from the gathered crowd, local leaders, and families who had waited generations for the realisation of the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Reservoir Project.
Addressing the grand gathering, public representatives and local leaders hailed the Chief Minister as an ‘Apara Bhageeratha’ and the saviour of the region. They highlighted that Naidu was the leader who originally laid the foundation stone for the project 30 years ago, and he has now returned to complete it, permanently changing the region’s fortunes.
Y Palem TDP in-charge G Erixion Babu noted that despite political electoral losses in the segment, the Chief Minister sanctioned massive funds without prejudice to complete this lifeline project. Giddalur MLA M Ashok Reddy, Markapuram MLA K Narayana Reddy, and Kanigiri MLA M Ugra Narasimha Reddy echoed similar emotions, stating that the long-standing menace of fluoride contamination is finally coming to an end.
A particularly poignant moment of the ceremony was the participation of Vilasini and Sunanda, the daughters of the late communist leader Poola Subbaiah, after whom the project is named. The Chief Minister and cabinet ministers felicitated both sisters on stage with traditional sarees.
Vilasini, a retired teacher, shared that neither her father nor his colleagues ever believed they would see this demand realised in their lifetime due to the massive engineering hurdles involved. She expressed gratitude to the CM for turning an “impossible task into a possible mission”.
The venue resonated with similar sentiments from local residents who gathered from across the district. Sheikh Nusrat from Giddalur shared that her family stepped out together specifically to witness the fulfilment of her late father’s long-cherished dream.
M Srinivasa Reddy from Kanigiri expressed confidence that the arrival of Krishna waters would permanently resolve the drinking water crisis, while Anjaneyulu from Markapuram Rural mentioned attending the event to carry the good news back to his 75-year-old grandfather, a veteran of past grassroots agitations demanding the project’s execution.
Adding to the emotional tone of the event, Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy spoke with a hoarse voice as he lauded the Chief Minister’s swift action in sanctioning nearly `2,000 crore for project completion and `900 crore for the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package for project-affected families.
Strongly criticising the previous administration for deceiving the public by dedicating an unfinished project, the MP praised Chandrababu Naidu as the true “Veligonda Jala Pradata” who delivered on his promise to bring prosperity to the region.