Lifestyle2 min
Visakhapatnam Mayor Hopeful Varudu Kalyani Puts Drinking Water Fix First
YSRCP's mayoral candidate says a lasting answer to the city's water shortage tops her list, alongside parks, cleaner surroundings and fewer trips to municipal offices.
Varudu Kalyani, the YSR Congress Party's mayoral candidate in Visakhapatnam, says a permanent fix for the city's drinking water problem would be her first priority if voters elect her. She spoke at a press conference on Friday, joined by regional coordinator Kurasala Kannababu, former Minister Gudivada Amarnath and other party leaders.
Water is the daily worry she put at the centre of her pitch. Kalyani said the city has struggled with a drinking water crisis for the past six months, and she argued that the NDA's election manifesto offers no lasting solution to it.
Her other promises touch everyday city life. She pledged to strengthen public health services, protect the environment, and draw up a comprehensive plan for parks and sports facilities. She also said she would safeguard roadside and footpath traders, and make municipal services work so residents need not make repeated trips to government offices for minor civic tasks.
She also turned to the newer parts of the city. Kalyani promised to build basic infrastructure in the peripheral areas recently merged into Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) limits, and to give priority to the city's heritage and cultural identity.
On her party's record, she claimed the previous YSRCP government delivered welfare benefits worth nearly ₹6,000 crore to city residents and carried out development works worth ₹2,500 crore. These are her figures, and the source offers no independent verification. She said the party has a special vision for Visakhapatnam and would pursue it if given another chance.
Her sharpest attacks targeted the NDA coalition. Kalyani said the government has failed to keep its promises over the past 30 months and has neglected the city. She faulted the manifesto for staying silent on alleged encroachment of lands linked to GITAM institutions, on preventing environmental damage, and on stopping the privatisation of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. She also questioned the allotment of valuable government land to private entities under 99-paise and one-rupee leases.
Kalyani said campaign responses had been encouraging and reflected rising public dissatisfaction with the NDA government. For voters, the contest may come down to a simple question: who can get taps running reliably, and keep basic services within easy reach? Read the original report at The Hindu.