ADILABAD: Nirmal Assembly constituency, once known for its world-famous toys, seems to have fallen on bad days. Toys were its identity once but not anymore as there is no wood available for artists to make them. “The government needs to take measures if it is interested in protecting the identity of the Nirmal toys,” says Ramu, a local resident.
The constituency, which got its name from its 17th century rule Neema Naidu, has nothing to boast of now. Nirmal town has forts that once belonged to Neema Naidu. A lot needs to be done to develop them into tourist attractions.
The people who live in this constituency face one too many problems. Of them, simian trouble is the most severe though for outsiders it may look silly. Hundreds of acres of land are left fallow as there is no way to control the monkeys from invading the fields.
A farmer, Sanka Chenniah of Mamada mandal, said: “I have two acres of land but I had left it fallow because there was no way I could control the monkeys from destroying the crop. In fact, all the farmers had stopped doing agriculture because of this problem. If it continues to be neglected, all agricultural lands would become barren.”
Though incumbent MLA A Indrakaran Reddy is the forest minister, the people suffer from the simian problem. A monkey rescue and rehabilitation centre was set up in Malka Chincholi but it has not been of much use to the people.
The towns and villages are sitting ducks when it rains. The rain waters invade the houses and inundate colonies. The civic authorities or panchayat officials have not taken up any measures to provide a semblance of orderliness. They complain of a lack of funds. Worse still, they seem to be lacking in commitment.
Migrant workers’ issue
Then there are people who live in perpetual anxiety over how their breadwinners in the Gulf are doing. With stories doing the rounds that they are not having a good time, sometimes, even finding themselves on the wrong side of the law, they have none to turn to for help. Only the NGOs help them out with their limited wherewithal. If there is a death, it is the NGOs who have to fly the bodies back to their homes. If any one is arrested, it is again the NGOs who have to go to their rescue.
Housing is a problem as the government’s double-bedroom houses have not reached the deserving poor. C Mallesh of Nirmal constituency said: “I did not get a double-bedroom hose though I had applied on several occasions.”He grazes cattle and works as a daily wage labourer. He lives in a hut with his family of three children.
Local MLA A Indakaran Reddy did not respond on these issues.The constituency has produced important leaders who adorned positions of PCC presidents and Cabinet ministers in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and after the formation of Telangana state.
Now it is witnessing a triangular fight between A Indrakaran Reddy (BRS), A Maheshwar Reddy (BJP), and K Srihari Rao (Congress). The constituency has been dominated by the Congress and the TDP. The TRS (now BRS) was unable to show its strength in the constituency even during the Telangana movement.It is only since the 2018 Assembly elections that the BRS got an identity when its candidate A Indrakaran Redy won the election.
The constituency, which was created in 1952, comprises Nirmal Urban, Nirmal Rural, Dilawarpur, Narsapur G, Sarangapur, Laxmanchanda, Mamada, and Soan mandals. Elections were held 16 times till 2018. In these elections, the Congress won six times, the TDP, five times, Socialist, PRP, BSP, independent and BRS one time each.
While Indrakaran Reddy won in 2014 on the BSP symbol and on the BRS ticket in 2018, BJP candidate A Maheshwar Reddy won the election once on the PRP ticket in 2009. The Congress is fielding K Srihari Rao this time.