Govt. will stand by victims of Annamayya dam wall collapse, says Pawan Kalyan

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan addressing the victims of the 2021 Annamayya dam wall collapse incident, at Pulapattur village, near Rajampeta, in Annamayya district on Friday.

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan on August 23 (Friday) said the NDA coalition government in the State would stand by the villagers of Pulapattur and Mandapalli, who were affected by the collapse of the Annamayya dam wall in November 2021.

Mr. Pawan Kalyan was interacting with the families that had borne the brunt of the incident at Pulapattur.

Emphasising the government’s unwavering support to them, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said he would personally assess the extensive damage in the both these villages.

Assuring the victims of justice, he said as many as 300 houses would be constructed for them. He said ₹6 crore would be released to initiate the works. Steps would be taken to provide five cents of land to the families that suffered due to insufficient compensation, he said.

Protective barrier

“Plans are under way to construct a protective barrier to the Annamayya reservoir to mitigate flood-related threats as well as to address crop damage with adequate compensation,” Mr. Pawan Kalyan said, and directed the Joint Collector to furnish a comprehensive report on the flood-impacted villages.

Expressing his resolve to rectify the shortcomings of the previous YSRCP government, he said, “The previous government did not release water from the Annamayya dam downstream during the floods to facilitate illegal sand mining. Hence, the dam wall collapsed, leading to a major tragedy, which claimed several lives, besides loss of property and livestock.” A thorough probe would be ordered into the “human error,” he asserted.

Goonda Act to check land-grabbing

Issuing a stern warning that land-grabbing would not be tolerated in the State, he said, “We will curb the menace of public lands being encroached by enacting a special Goonda Act against the perpetrators.”

Minister for Transport M. Ramprasad Reddy, Collector Ch. Sridhar, Superintendent of Police Vidyasagar Naidu, MLAs of Annamayya district, and officials were present.