Pawan Kalyan says 105 pond beautification works to finish by September

Beautification works on at least 105 ponds, taken up at an estimated cost of ₹50 crore, will be completed by the end of September, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan said on Monday. The programme is intended to raise green cover along the ponds' bunds.

In his home constituency of Pithapuram, the government has taken up development of at least 11 ponds at a cost of about ₹6.11 crore.

On Monday, Mr. Kalyan inaugurated the Mysamma pond, which was developed at a cost of ₹72 lakh. The area around the waterbody now has facilities including a gym and a walking track.

Speaking at the inauguration, the Deputy Chief Minister said village ponds were not only a source of irrigation or drinking water but could also serve as spaces for local recreation and for adding green cover.

Later in the day, accompanied by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P. V. Chalapathi Rao, he inaugurated Nagaravanam, a park built at a cost of ₹1.8 crore. Spread over 5.6 acres on what was an abandoned dumping yard, the park features a butterfly park, an open-air theatre, an open gym and a walking track.

Forest officials of Kakinada district have been asked to plant a variety of tree species in Nagaravanam, with the aim of drawing tourists who visit temples in Pithapuram.