Amaravati, March 4, 2021:Telugu Desam Party (TDP) said safe and clean drinking water is the right of people and the party is committed to supplying drinking water free of cost to the urban residents.
Andhra Pradesh TDP former president and Politburo member, Kimidi Kala Venkata Rao, Thursday said it would implement the scheme once the party wins the elections in 2024.
Expressing confidence in winning of municipalities and corporations in the present round of elections to the urban bodies, Venkata Rao said providing free drinking water is the mainly component of TDP’s urban elections manifesto.
Venkata Rao criticized that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and his government completely failed in ensuring safe drinking water to the people in the State.
“Contamination of drinking water resulted in a mysterious disease in Eluru in West Godavari district in December 2020. More than 700 people fell sick and were admitted to hospitals in Eluru alone,” he criticized.
Stating that high quantities of pesticide residues were found in drinking water Venaktrao said around 2.38 lakh people from Eluru were impacted by this serious disease.
In Kurnool, the TDP leaders said, after consuming contaminated water at least 50 people fell sick and one person died.
“This was a result of improper sanitation. Moreover, damaged water pipelines contaminated the drinking water. Major Municipalities in the Prakasam district, including Ongole, Giddalur, Markapur, and Kanigiri are facing acute water crises because of the state government’s negligence to clear the drinking water supply bills,” he added.
Meanwhile, he recalled how the then CM N Chandrababu Naidu had spent more than Rs 1449 crore through JNNURM projects across 12 municipal corporations for the supply of water, sewerage, roads, drains, and solid waste management.
By effectively utilizing the 14th Finance Commission and other funds, the TDP government spent more than Rs 1986 crore in various municipalities, he said.
“Water supply projects of Rs. 850 crore worth were initiated under AP Municipal Development Project (APMDP) covering Vizianagaram, Badvel, Markapur, Kakinada, Anantapur, and Guntur. To make the sewerage system more effective Rs 1364.86 crores were spent in Guntur and Vijayawada. Under the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), the TDP Government allotted Rs. 1,137.62 crore to support the water supply and sewerage system in Nellore,” Venkatrao said.