Tirupati: Despite its close proximity to Tirupati town, Renigunta, which can neither be called a town nor a village, is struggling with lack of basic amenities. Renigunta comes under the limits of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) and is about 10 km away from the temple town. It is a gram panchayat that boasts of the busiest railway junction. Although the international airport is situated just 3 km away, Renigunta’s residents do not have even basic amenities like proper drainage facility.
Narrow streets in front of the railway station, where the vegetable and flower market, and the main baazar are located, are too congested with pigs making their way along with pedestrians. Neither Chief Minister Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu nor any other ministers, including district in-charge minister and constituency MLA B. Gopalakrishna Reddy, have ever visited the town to inspect the town.
The town does not have a park although foundation stone was laid several years ago for a park at Manchineella gunta. The town, with a population of 30,000, is also facing drinking water shortage as people are mainly dependent on panchayat water or purified water cans. Renigunta GP C. Janardhan Rao said they were waiting for the 14th Finance Commission funds and Backward Region Grants Funds (BRGF) for taking up development works in the town.
“After getting Telugu Ganga, the drinking water problem is solved in the town, but to take up underground drainage and other works, there is shortage of funds. The GP revenue is mostly spent on power bills for street lights and other purposes,” he said.
