VIJAYAWADA: The flood retaining wall on the banks of Krishna River is developing into a political storm with YSR Congress trying to complete the project as early as possible to claim credit and the Telugu Desam opposing the move to shift locals for the wall construction.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy laid the foundation stone for the second phase construction of retaining wall and the administration decided to shift locals. TD Legislator Gadde Rammohan lamented that the TD government started the construction of retaining wall without shifting locals but YSRC falsely claimed credit and tried to relocate locals.
Rammohan demanded the Jagan Mohan Reddy government to explain whether the construction of retaining wall was necessary if it removed the poor people's houses from Krishna Karakatta in Vijayawada. He said that the government wasted two years without doing anything although it was already 50 per cent completed. He claimed that Naidu regime took it up in three phases and had completed phase one. He stated that at that time Rs. 165 crore was released for completing the first phase. He recalled that they had planned the retaining wall only to protect those staying areas abutting Krishna Karakatta.
Rammohan claimed that it did not evacuate or relocate even one single family from there. He alleged that now the YSRC Government was giving markings to remove houses in the name of second phase retaining wall works.
Meanwhile, minister Vellampalli Srinivas Rao, central MLA Malladi Vishnu and other YSRC leaders alleged that TD utterly failed to construct a retaining wall during its five years regime. They refuted the allegations about forceful relocation of people and stated that the YSRC government wished to rescue locals living on the banks of the Krishna river by completing the construction of the retaining wall.
Meanwhile, TD MLC Nara Lokesh demanded the Chief Minister to start mounting pressure on the Union Government for the Special Category Status in fulfillment of the AP Reorganisation promises. He asked how the AP special status could become a closed chapter when the special union territory status was being promised to Puducherry in the latest BJP election manifesto.
Lokesh advised Jagan Mohan Reddy to stop his double-game and start making genuine efforts to ensure justice to the people of the state. He recalled that at the time of 2019 election, Reddy had vowed to bend the necks of the Centre in order to bring the rightful special status to the State. The TD leader asserted that the Chief Minister should realise the fact that he would not be able to continue his secret journey with the BJP in AP any longer. He claimed that the people have seen through the unholy friendship between the two. He stated that the BJP manifesto for Puducherry election exposed the pact between the party and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
