Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan gave a patient hearing to the people who poured out their woes during the party’s ‘Jana Vani’ programme on Sunday.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan interacted with the people from the districts in Rayalaseema region and received 415 representations. The petitioners were from the undivided Chittoor, Anantapur, Kadapa, Nellore and Kurnool districts and their major complaints wwere related to flash flood, loss of livelihood due to official apathy, Scheduled Caste families being subjected to atrocities and tenant farmers facing humiliation at the hands of land owners.
Cane growers’ woes
Pointing out that all six sugar factories in Chittoor district have been closed down, sugarcane growers from Nagari constituency said that they were losing up to ₹1,000 per tonne of produce, when compared to the neighbouring States.
Around 3,000 farmers in eight mandals had collectively supplied cane grown in 50,000 acres to a private sugar factory in Nagari constituency in 2019-2020 fiscal year, but the proceeds of ₹37 crore was yet to be paid, they rued.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan assured them that he would take up the issue of dues with the government.
A group of farmers from Kalyandurg constituency in Anantapur district alleged that a Minister had encroached 92 acres of land of the Subedar Cheruvu tank and converted it into a real estate venture. Fishermen from Gudur constituency in Tirupati district complained that government officials were paying no heed to their problems, branding them as ‘Jana Sena supporters’.
The major complaints raised by people from Tirupati included the ruling party leaders involved in land grabbing, red sanders smuggling and black marketing of darshan tickets of Lord Venkateswara temple at Tirumala and conversion of the age-old Government Maternity Hospital into municipal corporation building.
Yatra soon
Responding to pleas on farmer suicides raised by a woman agriculturist, Mr. Pawan Kalyan announced that he would undertake the ‘Koulu Rythu Bharosa Yatra’ soon from Chittoor district.
Retired bureaucrat Vara Prasad, JSP general secretary Chilakam Madhusudhan Reddy, district presidents P. Hariprasad (Chittoor), C. Manukranth Reddy (Nellore), T.C. Varun (Anantapur), party affairs convener Kalyanam Siva Srinivas were among those who participated in the programme.
