Former minister Perni Venkatramiah (Nani) has expressed his frustration over the continuous absence of Eluru District Collector Prasanna Venkatesh from the Krishna Zilla Parishad’s general body meetings. Nani, who is also the Machilipatnam MLA, voiced his displeasure and urged ZPTC members to refrain from providing the media with opportunities to publish unfavourable news by posing unnecessary questions.
Following the district bifurcation, Nuzvid and Kaikaluru Assembly constituencies merged into the Eluru district, making it imperative for the Eluru District Collector to attend the Krishna ZP general body meetings alongside the collectors of Krishna and NTR districts. However, Prasanna Venkatesh has been conspicuously absent from these meetings in recent times, prompting MLA Perni Nani to criticise the Collector for what he perceives as a disregard for established systems. Nani alleged that the Collector had been absent from ZP meetings in the past and accused him of preventing Eluru District authorities from participating in these crucial sessions.
The combined Krishna Zilla Parishad General Body Meeting, chaired by ZP Chairperson Uppala Harikha, took place at the ZP Meeting Hall in Machilipatnam on Tuesday. Notable attendees included Krishna District Collector P Raja Babu, NTR District Collector Dr S Dilli Rao, Kaikaluru MLA Dulam Nageswara Rao, Machilipatnam MLA Perni Nani, Avanigadda MLA Simahadri Ramesh, among others.
Discussions during the meeting covered various subjects concerning the three districts: Krishna, NTR, and Eluru. Concerns were raised about the shortage of subject teachers in ZP schools, particularly impacting class 10 students. MLA Perni Nani proposed recruiting Vidya Volunteers using CSR funds to address this issue. In response, Krishna Collector P Raja Babu assured that they were actively working to resolve the problem by adjusting teachers and engaging in discussions with NTR and Eluru district collectors.
The me
eting also addressed the allocation of seats in private schools, with members noting non-compliance with rules mandating 25 per cent of seats for economically disadvantaged students. ZP Chairperson Uppala Harikha acknowledged the discrepancy and instructed District Education Officers to ensure schools adhere to the prescribed seat allocation.
The proceedings extended to matters such as paddy procurement, where the Chairperson directed the establishment of procurement centers for the convenience of farmers. Additionally, she emphasized the need for awareness camps to educate farmers on this issue.
Key officials present at the meeting included Eluru District Joint Collector B Lavanya Veni, Eluru Trainee Collector T Sri Pooja, Eluru Sub Collector Adarsh Rajendran, Krishna District Civil Supplies DM M Sridhar, ZP CEO Jyothi Basu, and others.
