Khammam’s development stalled amid funds crunch and tall claims

Despite tall claims by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and other Congress leaders, several key development projects in Madhira, Palair, and Khammam constituencies remain incomplete due to a shortage of funds. Initiatives such as the Indira Dairy project, underground drainage system, and Munneru river retaining wall have slowed to a crawl, with only partial progress visible.

Khammam: Even as Congress MLAs complain about Khammam ministers getting priority in funds release, many development works are getting delayed due to alleged shortage of funds in Madhira, Palair and Khammam constituencies.

Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka boasts of initiating development works worth Rs 1,000 crore in Madhira constituency. He proposed to make Madhira the first town in erstwhile Khammam to have underground drainage system (UGD) spanning approximately 99 km, along with four sewage treatment plants (STPs) at an estimated cost of Rs 128 crore.

The Indira Dairy project planned nearly 12 years ago was revived with a plan to build a dairy plant on 9.5 acres in Bonakal to transform around 53,000 members of women SHGs into dairy entrepreneurs by providing them with two buffaloes for milk collection in 132 villages in the constituency. The project cost is said to be Rs 781.82 crore.

The above are among the many projects he planned to make Madhira a model constituency. However the projects are moving at snail’s pace as the sanctioning of funds remained only on paper, alleged a senior BRS leader Bommera Rammurthy.

Of the 53,000 SHG members only a few hundred women have been provided with buffaloes while the milk chilling plant is yet to be set and milk collection to start. The same is the case with the UGD project as the pipelines have been laid but other works are not moving ahead as expected.

Similarly, works related to drinking water supply, drainage systems, roads, and streetlights across the 22 wards in Madhira Municipality, outer ring road, Integrated Residential School proposed at Lachagudem in Chintakani mandal are going on at sluggish pace owing to funds crunch.

During the elections Vikramarka claimed to be the Chief Minister candidate if Congress comes to power and just like that claim fell flat his promise of making Madhira a model turned to be false, Rammurthy complained.

The construction of a retaining wall on either side of river Munneru in Khammam and Palair constituencies as well as the cable-stayed suspension bridge across the river, both the projects approved along with sanctioning of funds during the BRS regime, are yet to be completed even after two years.

The Congress ministers Vikramarka, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Tummala Nageswara Rao in the district are making tall claims of developing the district but they are unable to execute the projects sanctioned during the BRS regime, Rammurthy noted.