Leader of the Opposition Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was answerable for the recent 16 deaths in Chaparai village in Boddagandi Panchayat of Y. Ramavaram mandal in East Godavari.
He toured the Agency mandals of Rampachodavaram, Maredumilli and Y. Ramavaram and addressed the tribal people at Kadarikota.
He spoke to the ailing tribals of Chaparai village who were admitted in the Rampachodavaram Area Hospital. Later, he visited the hamlet and charged officials with inaction leading to the deaths.
At Kadarikota, Mr. Jagan said it took one month for the government to get information about the deaths. “He [Mr. Naidu] claims that he is hi-tech Chief Minister with latest technology on hand. But it took one month for him to come to know of the deaths.” He alleged that the State government was not in a position to supply diesel to the 108 ambulances.
There were only seven ambulances for 11 mandals. Doctors were not staying in the hospitals as the government had failed to provide facilities.
The medical and health department was relieving doctors without replacements.
No notification had been issued for filling the vacancies for the last three years and the government had failed to give salaries to the doctors on contract.
Govt. failed to
constitute TAC
The YSR Congress chief alleged that the government had failed to constitute the Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) as a number of MLAs were from the YSRCP who would raise questions about spending of the tribals’ fund.
He alleged that the tribal people were trekking miles together to get ration and he received complaints from them during his earlier two visits and also now on NREGS cards, caste certificates and drinking water. He said disinfectants had not been sprayed in the entire Agency for the second time and mosquito nets had not been supplied to them for the last three years.
He said 2,979 malaria positive cases had been reported in 11 mandals but no special drive had been launched against it.
In the last one year, about 60 prenatal and postnatal deaths had been officially recorded in the agency due to anaemia and no steps were taken to supply nutritious food.
Mr. Jagan said the sanitation in the villages was horrible even after the Chaparai incident and the ITDA was not taking proper steps to keep the hamlet clean.
Rampachodavaram MLA Vantala Rajeswari, YSRCP district convener Kurasala Kannababu, Ananta Udaya Bhaskar and others accompanied Mr. Jagan.
