Deputy CM Promises Airport for Tuni

Kakinada: Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Thursday spoke of a plan to kindle fighting spirit among the youth to promote public causes.

“We will chalk out the plan to develop leadership qualities among the young generation from panchayat level to the national level in a decade’s time,” PK said in his I-Day speech after unfurling the national flag at the police parade grounds here.

He noted that when the Bengal split occurred, top leaders came under one umbrella and stopped such a division. Such a fighting spirit will be kindled among the youth in the next five years.

Pawan Kalyan also said an airstrip or airport would come up near Tuni and an industrial corridor developed between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam. These would develop the region vastly.

As part of the forest development programmes, avenue plantation has been taken up on 30 hectares to a length of 16km. Nine types of plantations would be developed to promote eco-tourism while protecting wild animals, PK who handles the forest department said.

He said that due to the lapses and irregularities in the past, the state lost many of its wealthy possessions. Some Rs 100 crore worth of red-sanders had been caught in Karnataka, which was smuggled out during the term of the YSRC government, and the revenue of these red sanders went to the Karnataka government coffers.

“If AP squads had seized the logs, the revenue would have come to the AP government. Such money could have been used for welfare schemes like the Dr Ambedkar Videshi Vidya Scheme that helps the SCs and STs get higher education abroad,” he said.

The deputy CM said the government aimed at a drug-free state by implementing several programmes for 100 days and preventing the youth from distress conditions due to the use of narcotic drugs. “We would provide skill development training for youth in technical and non-technical categories through a skill hub in each constituency. A skill college would be set up at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada, he said.

He said lakhs of vehicles are moving on the Asian Development Bank-funded road between Kakinada and Rajanagaram route. “The road was badly damaged, but the previous government did not do the repairs. It constructed a palace at Rishikonda at a cost of Rs 640 crore. If the fund was made use of for the ADB Road development, it would have benefited the people.”

PK said the state government allocated funds for the Jal Jeevan mission to provide drinking water to every household. “The YSRC government spent Rs 4,000 crore for laying pipelines with a view to getting the commissions from it. But, it could not supply the taps to the people. Our government would set all these things right.”

Kakinada MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao, Rural MLA Pantham Venkateswara Rao, YSRC MLC Karri Padmashri, district collector Shanmohan, SP Vikrant Patil and others were present.

Pawan Kalyan presented merit certificates to officials and voluntary organisations marking Independence Day. School children exhibited cultural programmes and the dog squads exhibited its skills.