Minister Narayana Inaugurates NTR Sujala Safe Drinking Water Scheme in Nellore

 Tirupati: Minister for municipal administration and urban development Dr Ponguru Narayana on Friday inaugurated the NTR Sujala safe drinking water scheme at Jagadish Nagar Park in Nellore, supported by the Adani Foundation.

Speaking on the occasion, Narayana said that during 2014–2019, six major plants and 60 small plants were established at a cost of ₹2 crore, supplying six lakh litres of water to city residents. He alleged that the previous YSRC government had neglected the works, causing inconvenience to the public.

The minister stated that the coalition government, after coming to power, revived the pending works in Nellore. At present, three major plants and 60 small plants are being developed, with each small plant supplying one lakh litres of water at the rate of 20 litres for one rupee. Of these, ten plants have already been commissioned, four are ready for use, and 20 more are in progress. All plants will be completed and opened to the public within the next two to three months, he added.

Narayana further said that projects worth Rs 550 crore had earlier been initiated to supply drinking water from Sangam, and another Rs 550 crore for the underground drainage system. Of the pending dues, the government has sanctioned Rs 165 crore, including Rs 30 crore for MEGA and L&T companies. The drinking water works will be completed by December 2025 to cover all 54 divisions in Nellore, while the underground drainage system will be completed within a year. An additional Rs 50 crore will be spent to prevent mosquito breeding in drains, he said.

The minister also announced that schools in the district would be modernised and made functional by June 2026. Responding to local requests, road development works will be taken up in the 16th Division. state Waqf chairman Abdul Aziz, Nellore Municipal commissioner Y.O. Nandan, deputy mayor Roop Kumar Yadav and other local leaders participated in the programme.

Minister Narayana orders probe into NUDA irregularities

Municipal administration and urban development minister Dr Ponguru Narayana has ordered a probe into financial and administrative irregularities in the Nellore Urban Development Authority (NUDA) that allegedly took place during the previous government’s tenure. He directed officials to prepare detailed reports on the lapses.

The minister was addressing a review meeting on Friday at the Nellore Municipal Corporation office with MLAs, NUDA officials and civic authorities.

During the review, MLAs informed the minister about alleged irregularities by YSRC leaders in their constituencies, including misuse of funds, encroachments, and lapses in urban development projects under the previous government’s tenure.

Responding to their concerns, Narayana said vigilance inquiries would be initiated and necessary action would be taken based on the findings. The minister criticised the functioning of the earlier government, accusing it of weakening urban development authorities and withdrawing funds without carrying out any works. He said such practices had undermined urban administration and delayed progress.

Narayana directed that funds collected under the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS) be allocated for development works in respective constituencies. He warned that strict measures would be taken against encroachments on government lands. Further, he instructed that 10 per cent of land in new layouts be reserved for parks and temples.

He stated that the current government had introduced LRS to protect the public from losses while providing approvals for setbacks, layouts and buildings. He urged officials and elected representatives to make effective use of these provisions for planned development.

MLAs Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy (Sarvepalli), Kavya Krishna Reddy (Kavali), Inturi Nageswara Rao (Kandukur), NUDA chairman Kotamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy, district collector O. Anand, joint collector K. Karthik, RDO N.S. Anusha, commissioner Y.O. Nandan, and others were present.