Andhra Municipal polls: TDP promises safe, free drinking water

Days ahead of the municipal polls in Andhra Pradesh, the Telugu Desam Party stated that it would provide safe, clean drinking water to the urban residents free of cost and as their right.

The Opposition party has cited the Eluru incident where hundreds of locals had fallen ill under mysterious conditions in December. Though the exact reason is yet to be established, the illness was preliminarily attributed to various spurious contaminants.

Elections to 12 municipal corporations and 75 municipalities in the state are scheduled to take place on 10 March.

The TDP has intensified its campaign for the polls with party supremo Chandrababu Naidu beginning his election campaign tour with a roadshow in Kurnool on Thursday.

Naidu alleged that Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy was focused on destroying the state, which he “was developing on various fronts during his tenure.”

Meanwhile, Kala Venkata Rao, a TDP politburo member and former AP unit chief, has in a statement, exuded confidence in winning several municipalities and corporations.

Rao said that they would provide free drinking water as a right of citizens if elected.

“Reddy's government has failed completely in ensuring safe water to the people. Contamination of drinking water resulted in the Eluru mysterious disease. More than 700 people fell sick in Eluru town alone and were admitted in hospitals,” Rao said while further alleging that about 2.4 lakh people from Eluru were impacted by the disease.

“In Kurnool, consumption of contaminated water resulted in 50 people falling sick and one person's death. Improper sanitation, damaged water pipelines are polluting drinking waters. Major municipalities in Prakasam district like Ongole, Giddalur, Markapur are staring at the face of a severe water crisis because of the state government’s negligence to clear the drinking water supply bills,” the former minister criticised.

The senior TDP leader said that “during Chandrababu Naidu's tenure, Rs 1,449 crore was spent through JNNURM projects in 12 municipal corporations for the supply of water and management of sewerage, roads, drains and solid waste.”