Ongole Utsavam organised
In Short
Former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu asks people to keep water bodies and roads free of encroachment
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Former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Odisha Governor K Haribabu, Collector P Raja Babu, MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, MLA D Janardhana Rao and others felicitating farmers’ leader Ch Rangarao in Ongole on Wednesday
Ongole: The 150th anniversary of Ongole Municipality was celebrated with daylong programmes at Mini Stadium here on Wednesday. Former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Odisha Governor Kambhampati Haribabu attended ‘Ongole Utsavam’ as chief guests. Students performed cultural programmes, and dignitaries felicitated several achievers. In the evening, about 150 Ongole Bulls were paraded through the main roads and centres of the town.
Ongole became a Municipality on September 30, 1876, and the town grew into a Municipal Corporation by January 25, 2012. Recalling his long bond with Ongole, Venkaiah Naidu said his political journey began here in 1977 when he contested from Ongole Parliament seat. He said people welcomed him warmly as a young man from a farming family, who had fought against the Emergency. He noted that voters walked with him and donated Rs 200 and Rs 300 during his jeep campaign.
Speaking about his time as Union Minister, Venkaiah Naidu said he pushed for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana so that every village gets a proper road. He urged people to choose leaders based on character, calibre, capacity and conduct, not money, caste or region. He advised youth to work hard with discipline and asked people to keep water bodies and roads free of encroachment and to love nature. He also called for protection of the famed Ongole bull breed and praised a book on Ongole history written by R Mallikarjuna Rao.
Odisha Governor K Haribabu said city growth means more than tall buildings and roads. He said people must get drinking water, sanitation, housing, health care and civic services. He said public participation is the real strength of city development, and both the government and every citizen share this duty. He praised the civic body for a waste segregation drive in about 80,000 houses on a single day, which was recorded as a world record. He called for special steps to develop water resources in Ongole. He also wanted Ongole to grow as Viksit Ongole, laying the foundation for Viksit Andhra Pradesh and Viksit Bharat.
Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said Ongole has a proud history and many freedom fighters and poets. He added that Ongole once belonged to Nellore district and that old inscriptions from Addanki rulers mention the town. Social Welfare Minister Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy congratulated Haribabu, who was born in Ongole. He praised MLA Damacharla Janardhan Rao for taking the name of Ongole to the world. He said 150 medical camps were held on a single day to mark the 150 years.
MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy thanked Venkaiah Naidu for sanctioning a large number of TIDCO houses and for AMRUT scheme. Rajya Sabha member Bashyam Ramakrishna praised Venkaiah Naidu as an ideal leader. MLA Janardhan Rao said 20 statues of famous personalities have been installed. He said 6,000 TIDCO houses will be opened soon.
Collector P Raja Babu said big industries like BPCL and Indosol will come to the district and create jobs. He said Kothapatnam harbour, a Reliance biogas plant and the Ramayapatnam port are also being set up. He hoped Ongole would grow into another metropolitan city.
Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, MLAs Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, BN Vijay Kumar and Inturi Nageswara Rao, 20 Point Programme Chairman Lanka Dinakar, OUDA Chairman Shaik Reyaz, AP Cultural Commission Chairperson Podapati Tejaswini, Minority Affairs adviser MA Sharif, and other public representatives also took part in the celebrations.
