Devineni Avinash, the NTR District President of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), staged a unique protest by climbing into a pit to highlight the severe drinking water crisis faced by the residents of the Gunadala hill area in the Vijayawada East constituency. Avinash accused the ruling alliance government and the local MLA of showing a “stepmotherly treatment” toward the hill region’s residents. He alleged that the government was actively trying to illegally divert the drinking water safely belonging to Gunadala to newly constructed apartments and major commercial buildings in the nearby Gaddevari Polalu area.
During his demonstration, Avinash criticized the current administration for abandoning public issues and failing the citizens, asserting that the decades-old water crisis in Gunadala had been permanently resolved under the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government by ensuring safe pipeline supply to every household. He targeted the local legislator, claiming that the representative was purely focused on “show politics,” false propaganda, and caste-based divisions rather than genuinely addressing the basic necessities of the locals who had been struggling without proper water access for days.
The high-profile protest prompted an immediate response from the authorities, leading to its conclusion. The Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Superintending Engineer reached the spot and provided a written assurance to Avinash, promising that steps would be taken to stop the water diversion and ensure a continuous water supply to the Gunadala hill area. Accepting the written guarantee, Avinash warned that if the residents faced even minor issues or if the water disruption continued, the YSRCP would launch an even larger direct agitation in front of the Municipal Commissioner’s office to safeguard the rights of the constituency’s people.
