The AP police kept TDP former minister Kalva Srinivasulu under house arrest in Rayadurgam town of Anantapur district. The police closed all roads leading to his house as he tried to hold padayatra in the town in protest against the illegal mining of sand.
The TDP former minister accused the ruling YSR Congress of encouraging sand smuggling and illegal quarrying. He said that the construction activity in the state had come to stand still with the inapt handling of the sand mining by the YSR Congress government.
On the contrary, the ruling YSR Congress leaders were indulging in illegal mining and export of sand to the neighbouring states, while the people in the state were suffering for non-availability of sand. He said that thousands of construction workers and hundreds of building owners were made to suffer as sand is not available in the open market.
Dozens of police reached the former minister’s house early in the morning to stop him from taking out the padayatra. The police also arrested several of the TDP leaders and the party mandal unit presidents, who extended support to Kalva Srinivasulu.
As the police were guarding his house, the former minister came out of his house from the backdoor and reached the road giving a slip to the police. The police who saw the former minister on the road, blocked his movement and did not allow him to move.
The TDP leaders condemned the police for stopping their protest and keeping them under house arrest. The former minister said that the police who could not stop illegal mining of sand and who could not take action against the sand smugglers have stopped the TDP leaders from holding protests.
