SIDDIPET: If another airport is required for Hyderabad at some point in future, it will come up at Shameerpet, which in turn will spur the development of Siddipet, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Thursday.“Siddipet is at the cusp of all-round development. An airport will enhance its sheen. The Ranganayaka Sagar Project on the town’s outskirts, which will be developed into a major international tourism spot by investing up to `100 crore, will act as a major growth lever,” he said at a public meeting at the Degree College grounds here.
The Chief Minister, winding up his whirlwind tour of the town which he once represented in the Assembly and is now represented by his nephew and Finance Minister T Harish Rao, praised him for the attention he was giving to develop it. Fondly calling him a “boy”, he said Harish Rao did not let him down knowing fully well that Siddipet is close to his heart as it is where the seeds for the Statehood movement germinated. As he likened him to a pearl and said he was there acting on his behalf, Harish Rao stood up on the dais all smiles.
KCR expressed his regard for Siddipet. “The town has a special place in my heart. It is the place which made Telangana possible. If there was no Siddipet, there would be no KCR and if there is no KCR, there is no Telangana,” he said, drawing loud cheers from the audience.
He recalled winning the Siddipet Assembly and Karimnagar Lok Sabha seats simultaneously in the past. “As I had a commitment to the Telangana cause, I vacated Siddipet, though it was a tough call, and moved to Delhi. But I did not let you down. I returned with Telangana and placed it in your hands,”
he said.
KCR also recalled the teething problems the people faced soon after the bifurcation in 2014. “We had no power and the drinking water problem was acute. But I addressed them. We are already generating enough electricity for our needs and are at an inflection point of generating surplus to be able to supply to other States,” he said.
KCR unveils slew of projects in Siddipet dist
KCR recalled the days when NTR was Chief Minister and how he had stopped his convoy at Siddipet while it was on its way to Karimnagar. He had requested him to carve out Siddipet district after placing a map for the district in his hands. “For some reason, additional districts were not formed in those days and after the formation of Telangana State, our dream came true,” the Chief Minister said and promised to provide rail connectivity to Siddipet sooner than later.
Earlier in the day, KCR laid the foundation stone for an IT park at Duddeda, which will come up in a sprawling 3,000 acres with a 60,000-sqft office space at a cost of `45 crore. On this occasion, four IT companies from the US exchanged MoUs with the State government in the presence of KCR.
He also inaugurated a Rythu Vedika at nearby Mittapally, which was constructed at a cost of `22 lakh in 2,046 square yards.
The Chief Minister inaugurated a Government Medical College which was built at a cost of `715 crore in 3 lakh sqft. He laid the foundation stone for a 1,000-bed government hospital too.KCR inaugurated a 2,460 double-bedroom housing complex in Siddipet, which was constructed at a cost of `145 crore in 45 acres. He made Potha Devender-Swathi, Raj Kaur, Mohammed Saddam and Yaka Bhagya to perform the house-warming ceremony. The Chief Minister inaugurated a function hall and an integrated market in the colony which has been named KCR Nagar.
He also unveiled a `278.50 crore underground drainage system in Siddipet as part of making Swachh Siddipet. He opened the Water Resources Department’s guesthouse, built on the Paallagutta Island in the Ranganayaka Sagar which has a capacity of 3.50 tmc. The Chief Minister inspected the beautification works at Komati Cheruvu and toured Necklace Road on foot. He congratulated Harish Rao for developing the Komati Cheruvu area.
Visit comes soon after CM backed ryots’ protest
The Chief Minister’s visit to the national capital is taking place on the back of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supporting the farmers’ agitation for the repeal of the Central government’s three new farm laws. After throwing his weight behind the farmers, KCR had sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony for the Central Vista project. In the past, the pink paery MPs had opposed some Bills and supported some in Parliament, contending that they would extend issue-based support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)