Students and residents of several colonies poured out their woes before Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national general secretary N. Lokesh as his Yuva Galam padatyara entered Kurnool on (May 6) Saturday.
The residents expressed their displeasure over the delay in undertaking an underground drainage project and construction of houses for the poor, alleging that applications in this regard were submitted to the authorities concerned three years ago.
“Some 600 persons in our colony have applied for pucca houses, However, not a single house has been built yet. Earlier, 1,200 people in our division used to get pensions. The number of beneficiaries has reduced to 350 now,” complained the residents of the Labour Colony in the 45 th Ward.
House taxes and electricity bills have increased enormously and people are being charged even for collection of garbage from houses, they added.
Student union representatives, who met Mr. Lokesh, demanded that the G.O. No.77 be scrapped and the post-graduate students be covered under the fee reimbursement scheme.
The aided education system should be revived and quality free education should be provided to the poor, the student leaders said in their representation.
Land grab allegations
The TDP leader alleged that after Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy assumed the office, properties belonging to minority communities were illegally occupied by the ruling party leaders.
Mr. Lokesh accused Panyam MLA K. Rambhupal Reddy of grabbing 10.64 acre wakf land worth ₹100 crore in the Survey No. 524.
“The MLA will have to pay a heavy price for acquiring the wakf land illegally,” Mr. Lokesh said, adding that without giving proper replies to his charges, the MLA was just diverting the public attention by ‘using filthy language’.