Senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and party’s Palacole MLA Nimmala Rama Naidu were arrested on June 10 (Saturday) while they were on their way to the Polavaram irrigation project site to inspect the ongoing works in Eluru district.
On being alerted about the “unofficial visit” of the TDP leaders, the East Godavari and Eluru police swung into action and foiled their attempt to visit the project site.
While Mr. Umamaheswara Rao was taken into “preventive custody” while he was proceeding to the Polavaram site on a two-wheeler at Kovvurupadu village on the Eluru-Gopalapuram Road, Mr. Rama Naidu was arrested near Kovvur in East Godavari district.
“A group of TDP leaders, including Mr. Umamaheswara Rao, has been taken into custody for attempting to visit the Polavaram irrigation project site without obtaining prior permission. We have no communication about their visit,” Polavaram DSP A. Srinivasulu told The Hindu.
Mr. Rama Naidu said that the TDP leaders planned to visit the irrigation project site to “expose the failures and the reasons for the delay in the project’s construction.”
