Demand to prioritise allocation of CSR funds to Konaseema

Amalapuram (Konaseema District): Konaseema district people’s representatives have urged ONGC to prioritise their region in the allocation of Corporate Social Responsibility funds. The request was made during a review meeting at the Amalapuram Collectorate. State Labour Minister Vasamsetti Subhash, Amalapuram MP Ganti Harish Madhur, and MLAs including A Ananda Rao (Amalapuram), Datla Subba Raju (Mummidivaram), Vegulla Jogeswara Rao (Mandapeta), Bandaru Satyanand Rao (Kothapeta), G Satyanarayana (P Gannavaram), and Deva Vara Prasad (Razole) and district collector R Mahesh Kumar attended the meeting.

The Konaseema people’s representatives said that despite the ONGC offices being in Kakinada and Rajahmundry, a majority of the activities are in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district. The representatives emphasised the need for adequate priority in the disbursement of CSR funds to this area. They said that no CSR projects have been fully executed in any village within the district, contrary to previous promises.

In addition, they raised concerns about the lack of compensation for fishermen in ONGC’s operational areas since January 2024. The representatives also highlighted issues such as damaged roads and bridges due to ONGC’s activities and called for repairs. They criticised the laying of pipelines without proper government approvals and noted that leakage from these pipelines has polluted shrimp and fish ponds, causing losses for local farmers.

They suggested that one per cent of the cost for new projects in the district should be allocated for local infrastructure development.

District Collector Mahesh Kumar provided data indicating that 14,000 people from the district have moved abroad for small jobs in the past decade. He recommended developing the necessary skills locally to create job opportunities. Since 2019, about 1,370 CSR projects have been sanctioned in the Konaseema region, with 913 completed, 290 in progress, and 167 yet to start.

ONGC Rajahmundry Asset Manager Shantanu Das and Kakinada Asset Manager Ratnesh reported that out of Rs 17.31 crore allocated for the combined East Godavari district over the past three years, Rs 13.35 crore was spent in the present Konaseema district.