Former Union Minister M.M. Pallam Raju staged a dharna in protest against the dumping of garbage in the Excel Garbage Recycling Plant in Ajit Singh Nagar here on Thursday.
Former MLA Malladi Vishnu and former DCC president Naraharisetti Narasimha Rao were among the Congress leaders who participated in the dharna staged at the gate of the Excel Plant.
Though the garbage recycling plant had been closed for several years now, the dumping of garbage continued much to the chagrin of the residents.
Addressing the party workers and residents of Ajit Singh Nagar, who were direct victims, Mr. Raju said the Union Government had little regard for the health of the poor.
He said while there was no cleanliness in the poor neighbourhoods, the Centre was using the Swachh Bharath programme to garner publicity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were chanting the smart city mantra continuously. But they were not bothered about resolving the severe problem in the heart of Vijayawada, the temporary capital of the State.
The former Union Minister wondered why the administrators had been unable to resolve the problem right in the middle of residential areas leading to severe health problems for the Singh Nagar residents. The Government should come out with a sewage management plan and resolve the problem at the earliest.
