Adilabad Growth Will Take Flight: Revanth

Adilabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday said he intended to take Adilabad district “from erra bassu (a reference to rural service buses that were once coloured red) to Airbus,” signalling major upgrades to connectivity and infrastructure. He announced that the foundation stone for the Adilabad airport soon and it would operate Airbus aircraft within a year. Revanth Reddy said he had been assured of funds for the airport project by the Centre.

Stating that the government was committed to the all-round development of the erstwhile district, Revanth Reddy said Adilabad would gain a significant boost as a tourist destination once the airport became operational, noting that visitors currently face difficulties reaching the tiger reserve located across the border in Maharashtra due to the lack of air connectivity.

Revanth Reddy also announced that work on the Pranahitha-Chevvella barrage at Thummidihatti would begin soon and noted that then-Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had dumped the project.

Additionally, he said a university would be established for the district and suggested that Indravelli, given its historical significance, would be an ideal location. He proposed naming the university after Adivasi icon Komaram Bheem, though he clarified that the final decision lies with the MLAs and MP of the erstwhile Adilabad district.

The Chief Minister was addressing a large public meeting at Adilabad town as part of the Prajapalana Prajavijayostavalu. He laid foundation stones and inaugurated development works worth ₹260 crore. Recalling the historic Dalitha Girijana Dandora meeting held in Indravelli under the leadership of MLA Premsagar Rao, he said the MLA had requested him to “adopt” Adilabad and develop it on par with his own district, Palamuru. Revanth reiterated his commitment to Adilabad’s progress.

He said his government was developing districts across the state irrespective of political differences, involving even Opposition representatives, unlike the previous BRS administration. “I will speak about politics only during the elections. At other time, my main focus is on development and welfare,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that during the BRS regime, Opposition leaders were denied a chance to speak in the Assembly. The BRS government also detained then-Opposition leaders. That was not the situation now, he said.

He announced that he would soon return to Adilabad to conduct review meetings and inaugurate the Korata-Chanaka barrage, and promised to release funds for completing pending works.

Revanth Reddy strongly criticised the previous BRS government for spending ₹1.5 lakh crore on the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, stating that it had proved to be “Kooleshwaram” and failed to irrigate even a single acre in Adilabad. He noted the family of Chandrashekar Rao was now fighting for ill-gotten assets.

He assured the people that efforts were underway to restart the closed Adilabad unit of the Cement Corporation of India (CCI) under private management to generate employment for local youth.

Appealing to the youth, he urged educated individuals not to contest for sarpanch posts but instead prepare for competitive examinations and aim for IAS, IPS, and other top services. He encouraged people to elect capable leaders who can secure funds for their gram panchayats and suggested opting for unanimous elections to avoid large campaign expenditures.

The Chief Minister said the government had filled 61,000 vacancies in the last two years and would soon fill the remaining 40,000 vacancies. He said the Chandrashekar Rao government had ignored the problem of unemployment during its decade in power.

Listing the welfare schemes being implemented, he said the government had spent ₹8,100 crore on providing free bus travel for women in RTC buses. He added that 65 lakh women had already received Indiramma sarees, and the remaining 30 lakh sarees would be distributed in the summer. He remarked that the state had received good rainfall and attributed it symbolically to the happiness of women.

Speaking at the event, minister Jupally Krishna Rao said the government would issue ration cards in saturation mode and undertake a special drive to provide cards to those who have not received them.

Minister Gaddam Vivek criticised the BRS leadership for allowing the sand mafia to flourish and engaging in large-scale corruption. He expressed confidence that Congress-backed sarpanch candidates would win across the state.

Adilabad MLA Payal Shankar requested the Chief Minister to release funds for various pending development works in the district. Adilabad MP Gaddam Nagesh also sought the Chief Minister’s support for the district’s development. MLAs Gaddam Vinod, Vedma Bojju, MLC Vittal, former minister Indrakaran Reddy, and leaders S. Venugopala Chary, Rekha Naik, Naresh Jadhav, Shyam Naik, Atram Suguna, Kandi Srinivas Reddy, Gandrath Sujatha and others were present.