Plea to build medical colleges instead of NTR statue

Guntur: The Government Medical Colleges Protection Committee urged the Andhra Pradesh government to utilise Rs 1,750 crore of public funds for building medical colleges instead of constructing a massive statue of late NT Rama Rao. The proposed project involves building a 600-foot, 3,500-ton bronze statue at Neerukonda in the capital region, which the committee believes would be a misuse of public money when essential sectors require urgent investment.

Speaking at a press conference held at Jana Chaitanya Vedika Hall in Guntur on Sunday, state convener Dr Alla Venkateshwarlu, along with co-conveners KS Lakshmana Rao, Vallamreddy Lakshmana Reddy and Korivi Vinay Kumar, appealed to the government to prioritise public welfare. He recalled that former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had earlier constructed a lavish building at Rushikonda at a cost of Rs 500 crore, which could have funded two medical colleges. He criticised the present plan, stating that the same mistake is being repeated on a much larger scale.

The speakers pointed out that courts in Tamil Nadu had rejected a similar proposal to build a statue of Karunanidhi using public funds. Former MLC Lakshmana Rao highlighted that the state has borrowed over Rs 3 lakh crore in the last 18 months and is paying more than Rs 7,000 crore in monthly interest. The committee suggested that Rs 1,750 crore could complete seven government medical colleges.