VIZIANAGARAM
Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan reached Gurla in Vizianagaram district on Monday (October 21) to meet the families of those affected by the diarrhoea outbreak, which has claimed 10 lives and left scores of people hospitalised.
Mr. Pawan Kalyan met the patients and their families at the Gurla PHC and at the special medical camp set up to deal with the large number of cases, and assured them of all support from the government.
Residents who had remained indoors for the past one week came out to meet Mr. Pawan Kalyan after no new cases were reported in the past two days. They complained that officials were suppressing the facts even as several people had died of diarrhoea. Officials had recently claimed that only one person had died of diarrhoea and that the other deaths were of natural causes.
The residents also complained that water tanks were not cleaned for many months and that sanitation was completely ignored by the Panchayati Raj Department. They also sought compensation for the family members of the deceased.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who also holds the portfolio of Rural Development and Rural Water Supply, reportedly assured the residents that the reasons behind the outbreak of diarrhoea would be identified in a detailed inquiry and promised to take up with the Chief Minister the issue of providing job opportunities to the children of the deceased.
Later, he held a meeting with MSME Minister Kondapalli Srinivas, Cheepurupalli MLA Kala Venkata Rao, Collector B.R. Amebdkar and other officials at the Collectorate. He sought regular cleaning of water tanks and verification of water pipelines and prevent water contamination.
He expressed displeasure over the poor maintenance of the protected water scheme in SSR Peta, located near Gurla village. He directed the officials to ensure cleanliness of all water bodies including Champavati river which is the main source of drinking water for Gurla and 25 nearby villages. He asked them to take steps to curb open defecation which is also said to be a potential cause behind the outbreak of the disease in Gurla village.
‘Previous govt. responsible’
Speaking to reporters after the review meeting at the Collectorate, Mr. Pawan Kalyan said the previous YSRCP government should be held responsible for the diarrhoea outbreak. “The previous government did not release funds for the maintenance and regular cleaning of water tanks and pipelines, which led to the diarrhoea outbreak,” he said.
“The then government had spent ₹600 crore on constructing the palatial structures atop Rushikonda hill, but failed to allocate funds for protected water schemes. It also diverted the 15th Finance Commission funds which were supposed to be spent on development of villages. As a responsible government, we appointed a high-level committed headed by a senior IAS officer to investigate the exact reasons that led to the deaths in Gurla village,” said Mr. Pawan Kalyan, promising ₹1 lakh each for the next of kin of 10 people who died in Gurla.
Published - October 21, 2024 07:17 pm IST
