New Milestone: Kotappakonda Road Development Kicked Off

Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan once again proved that political leadership is not just about making promises during elections, but about delivering on them without fail. He fulfilled his commitment to provide proper road connectivity for devotees visiting Kotappakonda ahead of the Shivaratri festival .

As part of his Palnadu district tour on Thursday, Pawan Kalyan inaugurated the newly constructed Kotappakonda–Kothapalem road , built at a cost of ₹3.9 crore under Panchayat Raj funds . The nearly 8-kilometre-long road was completed within the stipulated timeframe, as promised during the recent Assembly session in response to a request from local MLA Dr Chadalavada Aravind Babu .

After unveiling the plaque , the Deputy Chief Minister personally inspected the quality of the works by walking along the road. With the road now open to traffic, travel hardships for nearly 1.5 lakh devotees expected to visit Kotappakonda during Shivaratri will be significantly eased. The project has also brought long-awaited relief to local farmers and students of the Gonepudi school, who had faced transportation difficulties for decades.

Focus on Giripradakshina Path

As part of the development of the Trikoteswara Swamy temple , Pawan Kalyan held detailed discussions with officials on the proposed Giripradakshina pathway around the hill. He reviewed the draft layout prepared by the Forest Department and directed officials to ensure that the pathway is convenient for devotees while causing minimal environmental impact . Stressing the need to expedite forest clearances , he asked DFO Krishnapriya to prepare long-term plans in view of the growing number of pilgrims each year.

Following the development review, the Deputy Chief Minister visited the ‘Vanavihari’ Deer Park located on the Kotappakonda ghat road. He spent some time feeding the deer and interacted with forest officials to learn about the various bird species and plant varieties in the park. He also inspected the special tourist train and instructed officials to further develop the park as a tourist-friendly destination .

Earlier, Pawan Kalyan offered prayers at the Sri Trikoteswara Swamy temple atop Kotappakonda. Adhering to temple traditions, he participated in the Paadabhishekam ritual amid Vedic chants and presented silk garments to the deity. The priests later bestowed blessings on him.

Palnadu District Collector Krithika Shukla , MLA Aravind Babu , Jana Sena leaders Syed Jilani, Gade Venkateswara Rao , and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.