Upset over the State government’s decision to merge the Kandukur Assembly segment in Prakasam district with the neighbouring Nellore district, students under the banner of the Andhra Pradesh Vidyarthi Joint Action Committee (APVJAC) performed a ‘Jaladeeksha’ in the coastal village of Ramayapatnam on Thursday.
The students, led by APVJAC State president Rayapati Jagadeesh, stood in the sea water on the Ramayapatnam beach, where the State government had cleared the decks for creation of a sea port, for over two hours and raised slogans demanding that the port be retained in Prakasam district.
“Students from the backward Prakasam district were jubilant when Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy announced concrete steps to anchor the long-pending sea port, hoping that we would get jobs locally after graduating from college. Now our hopes have been dashed with Ramayapatnam proposed to be merged with Nellore district, as it would diminish our job prospects,” said APVJAC Ongole unit convener P. Karthik.
