Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan embarked on her two-day tour of the tribal majority district with a visit to Bhadrachalam on Monday after travelling a distance of more than 300 km from Secunderabad by rail and road routes to the temple town via Kothagudem.
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Her rail and road journey comes four days after the concern expressed by her over the alleged denial of official protocol and helicopter facility during her visit to Medaram jathara in February this year.
According to sources, the Governor along with senior officials of Raj Bhavan travelled by a special bogey attached to the Manuguru superfast express train from Secunderabad to Kothagudem (Bhadrachalam Road). On her arrival at the railway station in Kothagudem at about 5 a.m., she was received by Additional Collector Venkateshwarlu and RDO Swarnalatha, sources added.
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Later, the Governor travelled by car to Bhadrachalam, located about 40 km from Kothagudem, where she took part in the coronation ceremony of Lord Rama at the historic Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy temple.
Sources said that some senior officials, who were supposed to be present during the Governor’s visit, did not turn up on her arrival in the temple town.
The Governor was accorded a rousing reception by Kommu Koya Adivasi artistes during her visit to Bhadrachalam.
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A delegation of various political parties and organisations representing people from different walks of life submitted a representation to the Governor seeking her intervention to ensure demerger of five gram panchayats, which were transferred from Bhadrachalam division to Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
They also sought extension of railway line from Pandurangapuram to Bhadrachalam, speedy completion of the second bridge across the Godavari parallel to the existing decades-old narrow bridge in the temple town, among others.
Bhadrachalam MLA Podem Veeraiah of the Congress also apprised the Governor of the issues facing the Adivasis of Bhadrachalam Agency and denizens of the temple town.