CPM’s Praja Chaitanya Cycle Yatra to Address Public Issues In Konaseema

Andhra Pradesh: The CPM Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema District Committee is set to launch a 60-km Praja Chaitanya Cycle Yatra from March 25 to 28, covering Amalapuram town, Amalapuram rural, Uppalaguptam, Allavaram, and Mummidivaram mandals. The campaign, aimed at raising awareness and addressing pressing public issues, will culminate in a dharna at the District Collectorate on April 1. CPM State General Secretary V Srinivasa Rao will take part in the yatra, according to CPM District Convener Kaarem Venkateswara Rao, who announced the program at a press conference in Amalapuram. CPM State Committee Member Andra Malyadri urged public participation to ensure the campaign’s success.

• Key issues affecting farmers, workers, and marginalized communities

The campaign focuses on tenant farmers, agricultural workers, women, Dalits, and weaker sections, demanding solutions to their longstanding problems. Among the key issues, CPM is pushing for the redistribution of coconut plantations encroached by landlords to the poor and the provision of houses and house sites for all eligible families. The party has also urged the government to improve Jagananna Colony layouts and halt forced loan collections related to Tidco Houses.

For agricultural workers, CPM demands an increase in employment guarantee work to 200 days per year with a daily wage of Rs 600. Concerns of fishing villages, such as the need for retaining walls in Bodasakurru and Pallipalem, and timely payment of fishery insurance, are also on the agenda. In Dalit villages, the party is calling for better infrastructure and the allocation of land for cemeteries.

• Environmental concerns, public infrastructure, and healthcare

The campaign will highlight environmental issues, particularly the impact of ONGC pollution on local communities, urging its mitigation through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds. It also seeks a ban on illegal aqua ponds and stricter regulations to control aqua pollution.

On infrastructure, CPM demands the speedy completion of the long-pending railway project in the district and the construction of a bridge over Kotipalli-Mukteswaram port. Addressing urban traffic concerns, the party has urged authorities to implement traffic control measures in Amalapuram town and build new bridges at Erravantena, Edarapalli, and Nalla.

In the healthcare sector, CPM is pressing for the establishment of a government-run medical college in Kamanagaruvu and compensation for the underprivileged in the area.

• Call for public participation and government action

CPM leaders emphasized that these demands are crucial for the well-being of marginalized communities and warned of intensified protests if the government fails to act. District Committee Members G Durga Prasad, T Nagavaralakshminayakulu, and Shyamala, Shiva were present at the press meet, urging widespread support for the movement.

(Source: IAIJ/BIN/DPJB)