Somu Veerraju requests Central aid for Polavaram tourism corridor

BJP MLC Somu Veerraju has urged the Union government to support tourism development around the Polavaram project and establish a National Palmyra Development Board in Andhra Pradesh. He met Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum seeking Central assistance.

Veerraju proposed a Rajamahendravaram-Polavaram-Bhadrachalam spiritual, heritage, eco and river cruise tourism corridor. He requested funding for Godavari riverfronts and eco-tourism projects in the Papikonda region. He also appealed for special financial assistance under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes ahead of the Godavari Pushkaralu in 2027.

Later, he met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and sought the establishment of a National Palmyra Development Board at Pandirimamidi village in Polavaram district. He also proposed large-scale plantation of palmyra trees under the Vriksha Bharati Green programme.