VISAKHAPATNAM:Urging the public to utilise and maintain the facilities provided by the government properly, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan opined that true development can be achieved only through public participation here Thursday.
The Lok Sabha speaker laid foundation stones for numerous government schemes being taken up in and around Thallapalem village of Kasimkota mandal in Visakhapatnam district, adopted by Anakapalle MP M Srinivasa Rao under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, here Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, she said that the programme is not about developing one model village, but making every village in the country as a model village and thus, develop India as the best nation.
Participating in a Swacch Bharat programme, she said that the government can only act as a facilitator and protector of the public.
The people should own up their village and participate in maintaining cleanliness, she said.
“Residents responsible for sullying the surroundings, should maintain cleanliness and hygienic environs. It is important for the people to take the responsibility for maintaining a clean neighbourhood,” Sumitra Mahajan added.
She stated that development should start in a village and the villagers should do their bit to protect the facilities for future benefit.
On the occasion, Anakapalle MP M Srinivasa Rao assured to develop the village in to a smart village with cent percent sanitation, drinking water, LED streetlights and education facilities.
He said that out of 1,100 households in the village, over 600 houses had toilets. Thallapalem and five villages nearby are being developed under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana.
Visakhapatnam MP and BJP state president K Haribabu, HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao, MLAs Peela Govind Satyanarayana and Panchakarla Ramesh Babu, Zilla Parishad chairperson Lalam Bhavani, district collector N Yuvaraj were also present at the event.