Will build ‘Smart Nellore’ that can provide thriving job opportunities, says P. Narayana

Former Municipal Administration Minister Pongunuru Narayana aims to develop 'Smart Nellore' with infrastructure, employment opportunities, and educational initiatives.

Former Municipal Administration Minister and educationist Ponguru Narayana says that the numerous projects that got sanctioned and executed during his tenure between 2014 and 2019 have not reached the beneficiaries after the change of guard in 2019. He hopes that the people of the Nellore City constituency will vote him back to power so that they can reap the benefits of those projects.

In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Narayana unveiled his ambitious plan to develop the city into ‘Smart Nellore’, not just by building physical infrastructure but also by providing employment and livelihood opportunities for the people here.

With the TIDCO houses, underground drainage system (UDS), Shadi Mahal and other infrastructure development activity that began during the TDP regime almost reaching completion, Mr. Narayana plans to take them forward if he is elected again.

“Nellore voters have seen what I have done before 2019. The facilities are ready but not served to the people. If seeing is believing, they will surely support me,” he says.

The Ph.D. holder in statistics strongly believes in his prediction.

Rubbishing YSRCP’s claim of bringing English medium, Mr. Narayana recalled that he, as the Minister, had issued the G.O. to launch the same in municipal schools before 2019. “The same YSRCP, as the opposition party, objected to the idea then,” he says with a smirk.

With the TDP promising 20 lakh jobs after coming to power, Mr. Narayana eyes a chunk of them for the youth in Nellore and plans a project to get the dropouts to complete graduation.