KAKINADA :Differences between Kakinada’s City MLA and Rural MLA reached a crescendo on Saturday with supporters of the former destroying a newly-laid road constructed at a cost of `6 lakh in Mahalakshmi Nagar of Turangi panchayat.MLAs -- Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao alias Kondababu (City) and Pilli Anantha Lakshmi (Rural) -- have been tangled in a power struggle in the region for long, but had prevented their differences from flaring up, until now, fearing the TDP high command’s wrath.
Residents of Mahalakshmi Nagar staged a protest on Saturday when the cement road in their colony was dug up by the henchmen of Kondababu’s brother using earth movers. On Monday, the residents staged an even bigger demonstration at the Collectorate after which the special officer of Turangi panchayat, where the colony is located, lodged a complaint with the Indrapalem Police Station.
“For years now, the colony has been neglected. Despite several representations, the locality doesn’t even have proper roads. When we approached Rural MLA Anantha Lakshmi with the request for a road, she sanctioned `6 lakh,” a villager not wishing to be named said. According to him, the henchmen of Kondababu’s brother Vanamadi Satyanarayana rushed to the spot after the road was laid and destroyed it. Those who tried to stop the vandalism were allegedly attacked. The protestors rang up the Rural MLA, who said she would sort out the matter.
A part of the land on which the new road was laid is being claimed by Kondababu and his family as their own, but sources told TNIE that the City MLA had encroached the land. Joint Collector Mallikarjuna Rao has asked the Kakinada Rural tahsildar to look into the issue and submit a report at the earliest. Rural MLA P Anantha Lakshmi told TNIE the area was bereft of proper roads for two decades, which is why she had sanctioned `6 lakh. Kondababu on the other hand said he was not in Kakinada for the past few days and was unaware of the events.