Lokesh’s Mangalagiri Becoming a Safe Haven for Illegal Sand and Gravel Mining

Mangalagiri Assembly Constituency, represented by TDP General Secretary and Minister for IT and HRD, Nara Lokesh, has become a hotspot for illegal sand and gravel mining. Locals have raised concerns about the unchecked excavation activities carried out by TDP leaders in and around Mangalagiri for mining sand and gravel.

It has come to light that a 50-acre hill in Survey No. 211 in Undavalli was allotted to a Self-Help Group through the nomination method. The TDP-led NDA government approved excavation in the area without inviting tenders, in clear violation of established rules, issuing only a memo instead. Followers of the Tadepalli Rural TDP President have been continuously mining gravel day and night.

Each tipper reportedly receives between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 for excavating private land and transporting truckloads of gravel to Vijayawada. Recently, when locals attempted to block this illegal activity, Lokesh's assistant allegedly intervened, threatening them with consequences if they interfered.

Another TDP leader from Undavalli, along with his relatives, has been illegally transporting sand from the construction site of the national highway bypass road between Kaza and Gannavaram. Anyone who questions his actions faces his wrath.

Lokesh’s followers are also reportedly involved in illegal sand mining at the Godavarru Reach in Duggirala.

In Tadepalli Rural's Patur, a TDP leader has been illegally mining sand from a quarry and transporting it under the cover of darkness. Additionally, a TDP MPTC in Perukalapudi, Duggirala Mandal, has been running a cockfighting ring.

Real estate ventures are springing up in Navuluru without the necessary permits, while pavements in the under-construction Jagananna Colonies are being dug up.

Under the TDP government, scamsters have been running rampant, particularly in Lokesh's constituency, with little oversight from him.