Amid stiff resistance from the farming community against building a medical college in 50 acres of the land belonging to 115-year-old Nandyal Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS) and interim stay orders from the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the foundation stone was laid for the construction of a government medical college in Nandyal on Monday.
The foundation stone was laid for the ₹475-crore medical college outside the RARS premises in the Government Hospital honouring the High Court orders. At the simple function organised at Nandyal to witness the virtual foundation stone laying function, Nandyal MP Pocha Bhrahmananda Reddy, MLC Gangula Prabhakar Reddy, Panyam MLA Katasani Rambhupal Reddy, Allagadda MLA Jitendra Reddy, Nandyal MLA Silpa Ravi Chandra Kishore Reddy, Joint Collector Manzeer Jeelani, Nandyal Sub-Collector Kalpana Kumari, and others.
People held a dharna at their own houses on a call given by the Rayalaseema Saagu Neeti Sadhana Samithi displaying placards and asking the State government to honour the sentiments of the farming community by not destroying the RARS land, which was serving as seed production station for several varieties of agriculture crops. “Developing such a research station and land will take more than 10 years at an alternative location, whereas 25 to 30 acres of land can be acquired anywhere around Nandyal by spending ₹50 crore as it has been done for the proposed Adoni Medical College,” said Samithi president Dasaratharami Reddy.
College for backward area
Adoni is one of the most backward areas of Andhra Pradesh and setting up a teaching super specialty hospital along with a nursing college will go a long way in improving the health infrastructure in the region, said Labour Minister Gummanur Jayaram. After the Chief Minister laid the foundation for the ₹475-crore medical college along the NH 167 between Adoni and Yemmiganur, the Labour Minister unveiling the pylon for the medical college said that the college would come up in 58.44 acres and serve areas like Mantralayam, Aluru, Pattikonda, and Yemmiganur that were far off from any major health facility.
District In-charge Collector S. Ramsundar Reddy, along with Yemmiganur MLA Chennakeshava Reddy, Adoni Municipal Chairperson Shantamma, Adoni RDO Ramakrishna Reddy, and others were present at the function. Later the minister and MLAs honoured all the 16 persons, who had given their land for the medical college at Adoni.
