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Telugu Desam party president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s ‘Vastunna Meekosam’ programme, scheduled to commence in West Godavari district from March 9, is expected to give a fillip to the demand being voiced by local fishermen for downsizing the wildlife sanctuary area from +5 contour to +3 with the backing of all major political parties.
The fishing groups, lobbying for reducing the size of the lake under the leadership of TDP MLAs Vetukuri Sivarama Raju of Undi and Jayamangala Venkataramana of Kaikaluru are preparing ground to let the issue dominate the walkathon of Naidu in Kolleru areas.
The TDP chief will enter West Godavari district at Akiveedu through a bridge across the Upputeru creek from Alapadu in the neighbouring Krishna district. Both the ruling Congress and the TDP are raising the bogey of Kolleru with the elections to the local bodies round-the-corner.
n the run up to the Vastunna Meekosam programme, Sivarama Raju, supported by his colleague Venkataramana, undertook a padayatra in the Kolleru villages under his constituency for three days on the same demand.
The green activists fighting for protection of the wetland ecosystem in the lake are, however, worried over the clamouring demand that brings together the political groups of divergent views. With the alleged political backing, farmers are allegedly rebuilding fishponds in the sanctuary area, leading to a direct confrontation with the wildlife authorities.