Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Sunday accused successive state governments in Andhra Pradesh of neglecting north coastal Andhra and said that his Jana Sena Party would work to develop the region.
“JSP would take responsibility of developing the region by setting up small and medium industries and skill development centres and prevent migration from the region…Many water projects are pending due to disputes with neighbouring Odisha state. Discussions would be held within ten days of JSP forming the government and all issues will be settled,” Pawan Kalyan said.
He was addressing a gathering at Palasa in Srikakulam district, where he also promised that the region would be given special packages on par with Rayalaseema, adding that Kalingapatnam port would be reopened.
Uddanam Nephropathy, is a chronic kidney disease, which has been affecting people in the mandals of Kaviti, Sompeta, Kanchili, Itchapuram, Palasa and Vajrapukotturu and thousands of people have been estimated to have died over the years. It is a big issue in the region.
Promising those diagnosed with the disease a pension of Rs 5,000 per month, Pawan added, “A degree college would be established in every mandal and 100-bed hospitals will be upgraded to 200-bed hospital. The farmers, who were booked during the Sompeta anti-thermal power station agitation would have their cases dropped.”
The locals in the region were also hit by Cyclone Titli last year, which resulted in huge damage to properties, agriculture and horticulture crops, houses and infrastructure.
Pawan stated that it was his JSP which highlighted the losses of the cyclone after the natural calamity struck the region, which resulted in quick aid from the state government.
Last month, Pawan announced that in the upcoming Assembly elections, he would contest from two seats; Bhimavaram in West Godavari district and the Gajuwaka constituency in Visakhapatnam.
JSP will be contesting both the Assembly and the Lok Sabha Elections in April. This is the first time that the party is contesting elections – in 2014, JSP had backed the TDP-BJP alliance, which later had a fallout.
JSP has decided to leave two Lok Sabha and seven Assembly seats each for the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). It has also offered 21 Assembly seats and three Lok Sabha seats to BSP.
IANS inputs