*YSRCP slams Govt over diarrhoea deaths in Srikakulam*

Srikakulam, Feb 25:  Former Ministers Dharmana Krishna Das, Dharmana Prasada Rao and Dr. Seediri Appala Raju strongly slammed the government, holding it directly responsible for the diarrhoea deaths in Srikakulam. After visiting Dammalaveedhi, Kaki Veedhi, Golconda Revu, Bodemma Temple area, Vambay Colony and LBS Colony, they interacted with affected families and assessed the ground situation.
They stated that contaminated drinking water was the primary cause of the outbreak. Four people have died so far and many others are undergoing treatment in government and private hospitals. The former ministers alleged that instead of accepting responsibility, the government was attempting to attribute the deaths to other pre-existing health conditions. They described the deaths as the result of gross negligence and administrative failure.
Dharmana Prasada Rao said that 61 diarrhoea incidents were reported in the last 20 months, including several in government schools and hostels, which he said showed systemic failure. Dharmana Krishna Das demanded immediate relief and Rs 25 lakh compensation for each bereaved family. Dr. Seediri Appala Raju alleged that early warnings from local media were ignored and that there were attempts to underreport fatalities.
They demanded a high-level inquiry, accountability of officials and urgent measures to ensure safe drinking water supply to prevent further loss of innocent lives.