By L. Venkat Ram Reddy

Copyright deccanchronicle

Hyderabad: The ruling Congress has intensified its campaign in the Jubilee Hills Assembly constituency, which is heading for a bypoll soon. Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Vivek Venkatswamy and Tummala Nageswara Rao, accompanied by officials, toured the constituency on Wednesday to launch development programmes and strengthen support for the party. Booth-level committees were activated to boost grassroots organisation, while senior leaders moved through localities to assess civic issues and interact with residents.The ministers, along with HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath and GHMC commissioner R.V. Karnan, inspected flood-hit areas in Krishnanagar and Yousufguda division. They reviewed nala bottlenecks that had caused inundation during recent heavy rains and directed officials to prepare a permanent action plan. They assured that both open and underground drainage networks would be upgraded under the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) to prevent future flooding. Officials were instructed to maintain strict sanitation, while citizens were urged to avoid dumping plastic and waste into drains. The ministers blamed unplanned growth and lack of funds during the previous BRS government for Hyderabad’s civic woes, despite the city being central to the Telangana statehood struggle. They promised that under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Congress government would prioritise Hyderabad’s infrastructure and address long-pending concerns. In Jubilee Hills, they also rolled out welfare initiatives. A large-scale Sadarem camp for persons with disabilities was organised at Rahmathnagar. Ponnam Prabhakar said, unlike the previous government, which failed to conduct such camps, the Congress is now issuing disability certificates on the spot. He added that Rs.50 crore had been sanctioned this year alone for assistive devices, including motorised scooters, battery wheelchairs, business carts, laptops and tabs, to be distributed soon by the Chief Minister. The ministers, along with MLA Danam Nagender, mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi and deputy mayor Mothe Srilatha, inaugurated a Mahila Bhavan at NBT Nagar built at a cost of Rs.93.5 lakh and an Anganwadi centre worth Rs.29.8 lakh. Addressing women, they recalled that free bus travel for women was launched within 48 hours of the Congress forming the government. So far, 225 crore journeys worth `7,430 crore have been availed. They also underlined the government’s focus on zero-interest loans for women’s groups and nutrition schemes for child health. The ruling party hopes these initiatives will strengthen its chances in the forthcoming bypoll.