Nellore: Panchayat Raj and IT minister Nara Lokesh promised to put his efforts to establish electronic cluster around Nellore, providing 2,000 new jobs in the district by 2019. He was addressing a public meeting after inspecting the houses constructed for the poor using shear wall technology at Venkateswarapuram here on Monday.
Sticking to his target of 1 lakh jobs in IT and 2 lakh in electronic and mobile units in the State before 2019, he said eight firms were set to start operations in Amaravati soon. He said urban development minister P. Narayana was a ‘guru’ to him and lauded the minister for constructing houses for poor using shear wall technology in a record time. He added that it took him 20 months to construct his own house.
The housing complex coming up in Nellore would become a mega township on lines of the gated community with a whopping 25,000 people living in the area. The government planned to create employment and livelihood opportunities in the vicinity of the township, the minister added. He said his father and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had studied the model adopted by Singapore Housing Development Board for construction of quality houses for poor and decided to follow that.
The houses would have water supply, power, drainage facility, vitrified tiles flooring and tiles up to 7 feet in the bathrooms, besides granite in the kitchen, windows with glassdoors and wooden doors. He thanked Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu for sanctioning 2 lakh houses to AP just before he was elevated to the post. He also praised his father for working like a 24-year-old youth and conducting reviews for 18 hours a day, though he is 67.
He asked housing officials to paint the houses as per the choice of the beneficiaries who told him that they were happy with the quality of the houses. Urban development minister P. Narayana said they had completed 10 per cent of the houses though the works were taken up in September after an eight-month-long study. Agriculture minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, mayor S.K. Abdul Aziz, NUDA chairman Kotamreddy Srinivasulu Reddy, former minister Adala Prabhakar Reddy, former legislator M. Sridharkrishna Reddy, collector R. Muthyala Raju and Municipal corporation commissioner Alim Basha were among those present.
Ready to address any issue: Nara Lokesh
Panchayat Raj and IT minister Nara Lokesh claimed that no opposition member asked for any funds for development works from his ministry during his nine months tenure as a minister. Lokesh was addressing a Grama Sabha at Thummalapenta village in Kavali mandal as part of the Janmabhoomi Maa Vooru programme on Monday and was reacting to issues raised by YSRC legislator from Kavali, Ramireddy Pratap Reddy.
Pratap Reddy had expressed displeasure over the poor supply of water to Kavali canal affecting crops in tail end areas and silence over Ramayapatnam Port and giving facelift to Kavali on the lines of Nandyal. Lokesh hinted that he would address any issue if the opposition legislators brought them to his notice.
Praising Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his toil to build the finest capital at Amaravati, his son and minister appealed to people to extend their support to him with their votes in 2019.
Reminding that he was made minister at a very young age by the Chief Minister, he said he is working hard to live up to the expectations. Referring to the 7-decades long discussion on linking rivers by various governments, he said his father became a role model by linking Godavari and Krishna rivers through Pattiseema in 18 months. He hinted at monitoring the functioning of 30 lakh street lights in the panchayats of the state from Amaravati through a new technology. MLC Beeda Ravichandra and his brother and former legislator Beeda Masthan Rao have made elaborate arrangements for the visit of Mr Lokesh to Kavali division.
Among others, agriculture minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, urban development minister P. Narayana, Kavali legislator Ramireddy Pratapkumar Reddy, Kovur legislator Srinivasulu Reddy and collector R. Muthyala Raju took part in the programme.
