All poll promises will be met: Narayana
Accompanied by local MLA Daggubati Venkateswara Prasad and district collector Dr Vinod Kumar, Narayana inaugurated a Rs 12.217 crore waste processing unit for the Anantapur cluster, covering six urban local bodies (ULBs).
The unit focuses on zero residual legacy waste management through bioremediation and biomining. Additionally, plaques were unveiled for road and drainage works worth Rs 1.7 crore, funded by municipal grants. The minister participated in a tree plantation drive at the site, emphasising environmental initiatives.
Narayana criticised the previous government for leaving 85 lakh tonne untreated legacy waste and Rs 10 lakh crore in debt. He praised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's Clean & Green initiatives from the united Andhra Pradesh era, lamenting the prior previous government's neglect of solid waste management despite modern equipment and central support.
He announced that 55 lakh tonne legacy waste has been cleared, with the remaining 30 lakh tonne targeted for removal within three months. In Anantapur, JIGMA is processing 6,000 tonne waste daily, with 1.65 lakh tonne still at the 12.3-acre dump yard, which will soon become a public park.
Talking about welfare measures, Narayana noted the expansion of the NTR Bharosa pension scheme and the 'Talli ki Vandhanam', which disbursed Rs 10,000 crore in a single day, providing Rs 15,000 per school-going child. Other promises include three free LPG cylinders annually for poor women, Rs 20,000 for farmers in collaboration with the Centre, and the expansion of Anna canteens to combat hunger.
The government is also negotiating to release withheld Central funds and ensure tap water connections for every household under the AMRUT scheme, with Rs 8,500 crore allocated.
Tap water connections are being extended to households in Anantapur, Tadipatri, Guntakal, Rayadurg, Gooty, and Kalyandurg.
MLA Daggubati Venkateswara Prasad highlighted the adoption of foreign-model waste-to-energy plants and accused the previous YSRCP government of corruption and neglecting 3.3 lakh tonne waste. He noted that 1.68 lakh tonne is being cleared at a cost of Rs 12.27 crore, with the dump yard set to be cleared by October 2. He urged Narayana to release Rs 26 crore of previously sanctioned funds for Anantapur's development, emphasizing the district's backwardness.
AP Labour Welfare Board chairman Venkata Shivudu Yadav, AHUDA chairman T C Varun, Anantapur municipal commissioner Balaswamy, and other officials and corporators.
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