Markapuram: The Twenty Point Programme Implementation Committee Chairman, Lanka Dinakar, conducted a comprehensive field visit and review meeting to assess tourism development potential in the western part of the Prakasam district, accompanied by Markapur Sub-Collector Sahadith Venkat Trivinag and other officials on Tuesday.

The review began with visits to several historically significant locations. At Kakarla in Ardhaviddu mandal, the birthplace of renowned Carnatic musician Tyagaraju, Chairman Lanka Dinakar inspected the Tyagaraju idol.

He recommended constructing an auditorium to attract devotees and disciples, and to promote performances of Tyagaraju’s compositions. The delegation then visited Mokshagundam village in Bestawaripet mandal, the ancestral village of Sir Mokshagundam Visweswaraiah. After paying respects at Visweswaraiah’s statue and performing prayers at Mukteswara Swamy temple, Dinakar instructed officials to prepare development reports for the temple complex. A review meeting was held at the Cumbum MPDO office, focusing on the PM Janman scheme implementation, covering housing, roads, electricity, education, healthcare, and drinking water facilities.

Chairman Dinakar expressed displeasure over the absence of relevant officials for the Yerragondapalem aspirational Block review despite prior notice.

The visit concluded at the Cumbum lake, Asia’s second largest reservoir, where infrastructure requirements for tourism development were assessed.

Chairman Dinakar emphasised that achieving Prime Minister Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision and Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Swarna Andhra goal requires developing the Western region of the Prakasam district’s tourism potential by creating world-class memorial centres for luminaries like Tyagaraju and Mokshagundam Visweswaraiah, and developing Cumbum tank, to attract tourists’ attention.