A carnival-like atmosphere prevailed at the newly-constructed tank bund along the Lakkaram tank amid foot-tapping numbers rending the air and colourful balloons soaring in the skies as thousands of people converged on the picturesque bund after participating in a 5K run here on Sunday.
The marathon christened ‘Run for Healthy Khammam’ was organised by Puvvada Foundation in association with the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) and Movie Artists’ Association (MAA) marking the inauguration of the tank bund.
The run saw enthusiastic participation of people of all ages, to spread the message of leading a healthy lifestyle and transforming Khammam into a healthy city.
Members of various youth, sports and walkers’ clubs, students, representatives of TANA, MAA, and other organisations took part in the run.
Earlier, Minister for Roads and Buildings T. Nageswara Rao flagged off the 5K run in the presence of Khammam MP P. Srinivas Reddy and MLA P. Ajay Kumar at Sardar Patel Stadium. Mr. Nageswara Rao reached the entrance of the tank bund in a battery-operated mini-car where the 5K run concluded.
Scores of runners raced through the streets of the town with curious onlookers cheering them on even as a drone hovered over the marathon route capturing the aerial views of the event. The run culminated in a star-studded cultural programme on the tank bund.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Nageswara Rao said the renovated Lakkaram tank reflects the TRS government’s commitment to revive the defunct water bodies under the Mission Kakatiya programme.
He said plans were on the anvil to develop the decades-old Gollapadu channel here and construct a ring road around the town at an estimated cost of ₹180 crore to transform Khammam into a model city in the entire State.
Mr. Ajay said the State government’s tank restoration project has made it possible to revive and transform the historic Lakkaram lake of Kakatiya period into a lung space in the middle of the town.
A host of Telugu film artistes including Srikanth and Uttej, TANA President Elect (EVP) Jayasekhar Talluri, Khammam Collector D.S. Lokesh Kumar and others were present.
