Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's frequent tours in the state has courted controversy with people complaining of problems posed due to security restrictions and wastage of public money.
Even though the chief minister uses helicopters for going from one place to another, restrictions are imposed on the roads below. Along with this, several RTC buses and vehicles of private companies are used for transporting party workers and people to the venues of the chief minister's meetings. Thus, commuters face a harrowing time due to dearth of transportation means.
People who attended some of the meetings complained that even though they took a lot of trouble to reach the venue they could neither meet Reddy nor convey their problems to him due to the high security measures.
Reddy reached Amaravati in a helicopter for distributing plots to the poor today. His visit is being seen by some people as a wastage of public money. "At a time when the state government is facing acute financial crunch and unable to pay salaries to employees for months, the chief minister uses a helicopter for covering a distance of just 15 km. He is spending a huge amount of money unnecessarily on such helicopter rides," said a resident of Amaravati.
Reddy reached Krishnayapalem from Tadepalli and performed Bhumi Puja there. The distance between Krishnayapalem from Tadepalli is eight km. From Krishnayapalem, he went to Venkatapalem that is only six kilometres. After addressing a public meeting there, he returned to his residence in Tadepalli, which is about 10 km away.
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh CM meets PM in Delhi, seeks fund for Polavaram Project
"If we calculate the total distance that he travelled then not even 30 km were covered. For travelling such a short distance, the chief minister used a helicopter. Along with the wastage of money, amount was spent on setting up two helipads. A heavy security arrangement was made and people were the worse sufferes as traffic was suspended for long hours. When a voter can walk several miles to attend the CM's meeting, the latter cannot even travel such a short distance in a car," said another resident.
