Pawan Kalyan sanctions another ₹100 crore for Godavari villages ahead of Pushkarams

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan has sanctioned another ₹100 crore for development works in Godavari riverbank villages ahead of the Godavari Pushkarams.

Under the ‘Swachha Godavari—Pavitra Pushkaralu’ theme, ₹90 crore from Panchayat Raj funds will be used to take up 111 works across seven Assembly constituencies in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema, West Godavari and Polavaram areas. The works include 141 km of CC and BT roads connecting villages with the Pushkar ghats in Rajole, P. Gannavaram, Ramachandrapuram, Rampachodavaram, Achanta, Narasapur and Palakollu constituencies. Internal roads will also be improved where required.

Another ₹10 crore from the Rural Water Supply (RWS) Department will be spent on providing protected drinking water for devotees at every Pushkar ghat.

The latest allocation is in addition to ₹100 crore already sanctioned through the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) for development works based on district proposals, covering Polavaram, East Godavari, West Godavari, Eluru and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema districts.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the Pushkarams should not be confined to major centres such as Rajamahendravaram, and that facilities should be provided in riverbank villages for holy baths, prayers and ancestral rituals.

A ₹7 crore model Pushkar panchayat is being developed at Munikoodali in the Rajamahendravaram Rural constituency. Works at the village, including CC roads, tower lights, drains and soak pits, and urinals at the Pushkar ghats, are nearing completion, the Jana Sena Party said in a post on X. Amenities are also being provided at the Sapta Rishi Ghat there.