Tallapaka cries for attention

Tallapaka cries for attention
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Highlights

Once the village was patronised as living palace of Lord Venkateswara. Later, it became famous as birth place of the Hindu saint, poet and musician Tallapaka Annamacharya. Tallapaka, a major panchayat in Rajampet mandal, located 55 km from Kadapa city, is a totally forgotten village.

Kadapa: Once the village was patronised as living palace of Lord Venkateswara. Later, it became famous as birth place of the Hindu saint, poet and musician Tallapaka Annamacharya. Tallapaka, a major panchayat in Rajampet mandal, located 55 km from Kadapa city, is a totally forgotten village.

The 700-year-old village is having 7,658 population with 600 houses. In 15th century, Tallapaka village had enjoyed great glory as people were blessed with multiple talents, rich cultivation and different trades were performed by people in those days.

Now, the village was totally crying for attention from officials as it lacks infrastructure facilities comparatively with other places in the district. No election was held since last six years for sarpanch post.

“It is unfortunate we have no sarpanch like other villages. The village administration is run under VRO, who is rarely available for people. Due to lack of representation, the development badly hit in the village.

No loans were sanctioned and no water facility provided to the villages due to lack of proper representation to the government,” said former Water Users’ Association president Chamana Boyeena Sudarshan. According to locals, there was a proposal from the government for converting Tallapaka village as municipality following its ancient history.

But, some sections in the village opposed it claiming that the villagers were not able to pay taxes following their poor financial status. In this connection, election for sarpanch post was kept in abeyance for six months with the government is firm on making Tallapaka as municipality. It is interesting to note that the house where Annamayya lived in the village 700 years ago was not known to the world.

However, the TTD authorities have constructed a statue of Annamacharya beside Chennakesava Swamy temple in the village indicating that Annamayya lived in that place. But, there was no documentary evidence. No one knows whether Annamayya lived in the house where his statue was installed.

Even, dilapidated small structure is not available in the village and no things that the saint used for performing daily rituals to the Lord Venkateswara were found.

The TTD adopted Tallapaka for the development but there was no significant progress in that direction. No public bathroom or toilet facility is available in the village for the number of pilgrims rushing to this village.

After a long demand from the pilgrims, the TTD constructed public toilets recently without water connection. The pilgrims are forced to attend natural calls in open places.

There are several instances of villagers providing bathrooms to the pilgrims. “All sections of people in the village were Below the Poverty Line (BPL). We totally depending upon agriculture. No bumper crop since last 10 years in our village. If TDP government makes it as tourism spot it will helps us to perform business. I request the government to develop it as pilgrim centre,” a woman villager said.

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