Former Union Minister and TDP candidate for the Tirupati (SC) Lok Sabha constituency has lamented the sluggish progress of projects sanctioned during her stint at the Centre.
“In fact, several projects have either remained non-starters, or got stuck in the middle,” Ms. Lakshmi said while addressing a meeting on Wednesday.
Citing the example of the NTPC-BHEL Power Projects Limited (NBPPL) plant at Mannavaram, which is facing an uncertain future, she said, “The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had laid the foundation stone for the project. But, it is on the verge of closure now.”
The Gudur flyover that remained incomplete, the Nadikudi-Srikalahasti railway line, land acquisition for the Gudur-Dugarajapatnam railway line, expansion of Renigunta railway station, and development of Tirupati airport into an international facility were all progressing at a snail’s pace, she alleged, and blamed the present government for not taking interest to complete them in a time-bound manner.
Garuda Varadhi
On Garuda Varadhi, which seeks to de-congest the temple city by providing a 6-km-long elevated corridor to the Tirumala-bound pilgrims, she said the State had not provided funds for the project in the last two years.
Ms. Lakshmi also observed that the 75% jobs for locals had turned out to be a myth, as the families that had sacrificed their precious lands for developing the Sri City industrial township had to be content with menial jobs, with ‘outsiders’ bagging a chunk of the employment that needed skills.
TDP national spokesperson K. Pattabhi Ram, State secretary B. Changalrayudu and former MLA M. Sugunamma took part in the meeting.