Pawan Kalyan pledges bimonthly tribal area inspections

Visakhapatnam:Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has announced his commitment to make regular bimonthly visits to tribal areas, to speed up the progress of community development works there.

Expressing deep disgust over lack of any development in such areas, he decided to spend two to three days there every two months, assessing the local conditions and issuing advisories to officials.

The deputy CM unveiled a three-phase road construction plan for tribal regions and criticised the previous YSRC government’s spending priorities, at a foundation ceremony in Saluru constituency on Friday.

Pawan Kalyan referred to the Rushikonda palace project, saying it cost the exchequer a whopping `500 crore, and cited this as an example of misplaced investment. Such funds could have been better utilised for development of the backward districts, he said.

PK questioned the “disappearance” of `690 crore that had been allocated for backward villages under the state Bifurcation Act.

The deputy CM recalled witnessing several issues in tribal areas during his 2017 Praja Porata Yatra. He said roads are a lifeline for development.

“Tribal areas have been neglected for too long. I climbed hills to understand your hardships firsthand and will work tirelessly to address them. I am not saying that I will perform miracles in a jiffy. Give me a year. I will show change in the tribal areas," he said.

In an emotional address, the minister assured the tribal community of his unwavering dedication. "I love you as much as I love my own children. You tested me in 2019. I am here, standing strong for you, and I will not rest until we bring meaningful change to your lives."

The deputy CM said there was swift approval of the road projects in the agency areas from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.