Tragedy marred the Praja Patham programme in Chittoor district as it entered the second day on Tuesday. One Nagaraja Naidu (32) scrambled up the cell tower at Penumuru, 45 km from here and threatened to jump to death protesting against the alleged delay in the payment of the third instalment of his home loan under the IKP.
As the police and the local leaders coaxed him not to resort to any misadventure as his bill would be passed soon, he started climbing down the tower when, as fate would have it, he accidentally slipped and hurtled down the steel structure resulting in his instantaneous death.
Government sources asserted that two instalments were already released and the third was under process pending release of funds from the government. S.I, Penumuru, Asirwadam registered a case and is investigating.
Meanwhile the two district Ministers Galla Aruna and P. Ramachandra Reddy are continuing their jaunts across the district braving the gruelling heat participating in Praja Patham, sorting out issues on the spot and giving instantaneous orders to the officials wherever possible to redress the grievances of the villagers.
Ms. Aruna criss-crossing the villages around Srikalahasti told meetings that the Praja Patham, conceived to take government to the door-step of the villagers, was indeed the brain-child of Dr. YSR, while his successor, K. Rosaiah was carrying the programme forward rather religiously, amid all odds. Chittoor District Collector, V. Seshadri also participated.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy participating in the programme at Nimmanapalle said the Rosaiah government was committed to fulfilling the two main promises, giving 7-hours of free power to agriculture and providing irrigation facility additionally to one crore acres in the State by completing YSR's flagship, “Jalayagnam” programme.
