Protracted struggle by ruling YSR Congress Party MLA from Nellore Rural Assembly constituency for a solution to the drainage problem bore fruit with the railway and municipal authorities beginning the civic work at Ummareddy Gunta on Friday.
Despite repeated pleas, the railways and civic officials passed on the buck to each other leaving the MLA, Kottamreddy Sridhar Reddy, and the colony people disappointed. As a last resort, the vexed MLA, along with his supporters, staged a novel protest by stepping into the drainage canal last week demanding a written assurance to start the work early and complete the same on a war footing.
The YSRCP MLA, along with his supporters, thanked the officials for responding now as the foundation stone was laid and bhoomi puja performed on Friday.
The railway and Municipal Corporation officials promised to complete the work by August 25.
The area with a population of 3,000 experienced problems with sewage water entering their houses during the rainy season, he said, as the people of the colony welcomed him with flowers to express their happiness over the starting of the canal work costing ₹40 lakh. The problem arose following closure of the drainage outlet by the railway authorities. Literally he ran from pillar to post without a solution in sight for 2 years.
He knew very well the power of ''Gandhigiri'' act and hence he performed Satyagraha, a non-violent form of protest, in support of the people of the locality by entering the sewage water, he said. He would always be answerable to the people, he said and expressed the hope that people of the locality could lead a healthy life hereafter and in a clean environment. He thanked the Chief Minister for sanctioning Rs 62 crore for development of road infrastructure in the colony.
When he was an Opposition party MLA he stood in neckdeep drainage waters demanding construction of a bridge over a drainage canal in a slum area.The bridge was sanctioned then and completed within three months, he recalled.
