Bhongir: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy secured huge support for his padayatra along the Musi at Sangem of Valigonda mandal in the district, held on his birthday to drum up public support for the much-vaunted Musi rejuvenation project.
Over 30,000 farmers and caste-based professionals took part in a public meeting which Revanth Reddy addressed on the conclusion of his padayatra.
Keeping in mind the space available along the river, police allowed only a limited number of people to march along with the Chief Minister who began his padayatra after performing a puja at the Bheema Lingam located in the middle of the Musi river.
K. Venkaesh, a potter of Sangem village, said the locally available clay was no longer fit for making pots due to pollution in the Musi. He was forced to bring clay from far-off places. A few families of his caste migrated to distant places to earn livelihood. He urged the Chief Minister to take up Musi rejuvenation at any cost.
N. Nagaraju, a toddy tapper, said people don’t favour the toddy tappers from the villages along the Musi river. Due to polluted water in the river, the taste of toddy has gone bad and it has traces of chemical contamination. The livelihood of toddy tappers living along Musi has been in danger.
Sarakanti Rajender, another farmer, said foul smell emits from the rice when they cook it. Farmhands engaged in sowing and transplantation for which water of Musi river is used suffer from skin diseases.
Farmhands from other states don’t come here for second time as they develop health complications, he added.
A fisherman said pollution of Musi has impacted the livelihood of fishermen as fishes do not survive in this water. He appealed to the Chief Minister to go ahead with the rejuvenation plan.
CPI(M) state committee member and Vyava Saya Karmika Sangam leader Nari Ilaiah said no CM even dared to touch the water of Musi river and come near it due to the pollution. He showered praise on the CM for taking up the padayatra.
