Jagan neglected north Andhra irrigation’s projects: Naidu

Visakhapatnam: Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu has alleged that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy neglected the north Andhra irrigation projects initiated during his time. Addressing a `Prajagalam’ election meeting at Rajam in Vizianagaram district on Monday, Naidu said the Telugu Desam government had spent Rs 1,600 crore on irrigation projects during its term while the Jagan Mohan Reddy government spent only Rs 594 crore.

“We spent Rs 2,000 crore for Sujala Sravanthi and wanted to complete the Polavaram project but the Jagan Mohan Reddy government spent only Rs 5 crore on these counts in five years,’’ Naidu said. Naidu said while he spent Rs 284 crore on the Taraka Rama Tirtha Sagar project, the Jagan Mohan Reddy government spent only Rs 76 crore. Similarly TD spent Rs 553 crore on Mahendratanaya Offshore, while the YSRC government spent only Rs 26 crore, he claimed.

Stating that it was during the TD tenure



that the Bhogapuram International airport was mooted, he said it would have been completed in 2020 if he were in power. “By now industries would have been set up creating jobs for the unemployed youth. If TD brought industries to Uttarandhra, Jagan Mohan Reddy brought ganja and drugs,’’ Naidu said. 

Among the others, tenders had been called for the Bhavanapadu Sea Port in Srikakulam during his time, but Jagan Mohan Reddy turned desperate for money and sold the port to a private agency, the TD chief alleged. “The YSRC government completely destroyed north Andhra. In the name of making capital, Jagan Mohan Reddy converted 

Visakhapatnam into a capital of cannabis and drugs. The recent seizure of 25,000 kg of drugs from Visakhapatnam port was proof. In addition, Jagan Mohan Reddy and his associates grabbed lands worth Rs 40,000 crore in five years, Naidu alleged.