Anantapur: MP Rangaiah fulfils dreamof 25 villages for a bridge

Tarimela (Anantapur): A bridge built to connect two Assembly constituencies, Singanamala and Tadipatri, would have triggered socio-economic development, ended the woes of school going children, travailing pregnant women and people who needed emergency medical attention but due to apathy of people’s representatives and officials concerned, the pleas of people remained a cry in the wilderness for more than half a century.

The official apathy and lethargy of stakeholders is more baffling because great personalities like Tarimela Nagireddy and former president of India, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy are connected to the legendary village Tarimela before which the Penna river flows disconnecting and isolating people from 25 villages.

The Penna river flows with all its fury during rainy season and with less force during other seasons. To reach to any civilised town like Tadipatri or Anantapur, one has to ‘beat around the bush’ making a long journey of 20 to 40 kilometres in order to reach a school or hospital or any other destination. Water from MPR dam, Mylavaram dam and Chagallu river flows through Penna river, dislocating socio-economic life throughout the year. The strong connections which Tarimela has did not yield results and not to speak of Anantha Venkata Reddy, who was a two time MP, his son Anantha Venkatram Reddy, who was a 4 time MP, followed by JC Diwakar Reddy, who served as R&B Minister and MP. During the tenure of senior MPs, the cries of people went unheeded.

However, the people were pleasantly surprised when the present MP Talari Rangaiah, a bureaucrat-turned-first time MP, came forward to fulfill the long time aspirations of people, that too without their asking and on the basis of a third hand information about the woes of people of region.

The MP sanctioned Rs 3.76 crore of the MPLADS fund of Rs 5 crore in 2021-22 financial year. Official circles say this is unprecedented as no MP had given 80 percent of the fund for an entire year for a single cause in the country. Usually an MP disburses the fund in dribs and drabs to seven Assembly segments just to give local leaders a feeling of not being leftout but this unique feat of MP has won laurels from people and official circles.

Talking to The Hans India, Talari Rangaiah said more than 70 percent of works have been completed and the remaining works will be completed in 3-4 months and will be ready for inauguration by Christmas. The project itself is an engineering feat as a herculean task of stopping and diverting water flow was achieved to build the bridge hassle-free. This is an example of tremendous impact of infrastructure building on a region and its socio-economic development.

Villagers described the first time MP as a real sensitive people’s representative.

Recalling the days when he served as DRDA project director, Ranga Reddy, a farmer, said the people of Tarimela and 25 other villages will remember his kind act.

Ranga Reddy said that his own son could not write class X examination as he could not reach his examination centre in time due to the overflowing Penna river.

Jayalakshmi, an SHG member adds that her father succumbed to heart stroke as he could not be rushed to hospital in time.

Obuleshu, a septuagenarian, recalls several youths being washed away by Penna river when they tried to cross it in the past.

Padma, a schoolteacher said this will ends the woes of school children as many of them ended up as dropouts as they could not make a round-about journey to reach their school.

Trade and business activity will receive a fillip and real estate will boom in leaps and bounds adding value to farmlands, the local people added.

The MPs statue will be installed for posterity in our village for his kind act, say a beaming village youth association leaders of Tarimela.