Visiting Visakhapatnam, after the city was struck by Cyclone Hudhud, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday that he was moved to see the massive devastation.
Addressing a meeting near Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s main gate, he said, “VSP, was not only known for its steel production but also for its green cover. In my earlier visits, I could never see the factory from the road point, but now the entire factory is visible. This indicates the devastation.”
He promised to put pressure on the Centre for more funds for quicker development of the city. Mr. Gandhi also expressed his sympathies to bereaved families of two persons who died in the aftermath of cyclone at Gajuwaka.
Mr. Gandhi said, “Visakhapatnam was known for its industries, beauty and greenery. And the cyclone has hit all the three. We have members in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha and shall put pressure for early allocation of more funds for the city and VSP.”
The Congress vice-president also assured the employees of VSP that his party would oppose the disinvestment of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), corporate entity of VSP.
At Thatchetlapalem junction on the NH, he had a brief interaction with the people who gathered on the sidewalk and planted a sapling. He asked his party men to supply sarees and blankets to the affected people and provide asbestos sheets to the people, whose roof has been blown off.
From Thatchetlapalem he moved to Vizianagaram where he addressed a public meeting at Gudem village, where he said his party would work towards making Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, green once again. He also visited the fisherfolk in the Old Town area of Visakhapatnam.
His speech was translated by president of Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee N. Raghuveera Reddy and he was accompanied by senior Congress leaders Chiranjeevi, Botcha Satyanarayana, Killi Krupa Rani, Pallam Raju, Digvijay Singh, J.D. Seelam, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao and INTUC district president Mantri Rajasekhar, among others.
Telangana Congress Committee president Ponnala Lakshmaiah donated Rs. 10 lakh and 3,000 sarees for relief.
