Deputy CM Pawan sanctions Rs 8.2 crore for roads in Tamanalahetty, blind cricket team captain Deepika’s village

Amaravati: Responding swiftly to concerns raised by Indian Women’s Blind Cricket team captain Deepika over poor road connectivity to her native Tamanalahetty village in Amarapuram mandal of Sri Satya Sai district, Deputy Chief Minister K Pawan Kalyan on Saturday sanctioned Rs 8.2 crore for road infrastructure works in the area.

Of this, Rs 3.2 crore has been approved for the construction of a road connecting Hemavati and Tamanalahetty, while another Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned for a five-kilometre stretch between Gunnehalli and Tamanalahetty.

Acting on the Deputy Chief Minister’s directions, the Sri Satya Sai district Collector issued administrative sanction orders, clearing the way for the commencement of the projects.

Women’s Blind Cricket team felicitated for World Cup win

Earlier, Pawan Kalyan felicitated the World Cup-winning Indian Women’s Blind Cricket team at his Mangalagiri camp office. He announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh each for the players and Rs 2 lakh for the coaches in recognition of their historic triumph in the inaugural Blind Women’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

As part of the State’s felicitation, each cricketer was honoured with a silk saree, shawl, memento, Kondapalli toys and Araku coffee.

Captain and teammate received household items

“We are all players who come from a very poor background. Girls from our villages play a match so that we get a match fee, which we give to our parents, to buy basic essentials for home. We request you to help in any possible way,” Captain Deepika asked Pawan Kalyan.

Taking note of the financial hardships faced by some players’ families during his interaction with the team, the Deputy Chief Minister also extended assistance to captain Deepika and teammate Karuna Kumari by arranging essential household items for their homes.

The consignments, which included cooking utensils, television sets, table fans, mixer grinders, chairs, mats, steel plates, pressure cookers, LED bulbs, ironing boards, blankets, pillows and new clothes for all family members, were delivered to Deepika’s residence at Tambalahatti Thanda in Sri Satya Sai district and Karuna Kumari’s home at Vantlamamidi in Alluri Sitarama Raju district through Jana Sena Party leaders on Saturday evening.

Deepika impressed throughout the tournament with her all-round performance, including a memorable 91 off 58 balls against Australia, while Karuna Pangi Kumari, a Class 10 student from Visakhapatnam, played a composed knock of 42 runs in the final.

New houses sanctioned

Pawan Kalyan has also directed officials to initiate steps for the construction of new houses for the two cricketers under the sports quota, with additional household appliances to be provided based on their needs after completion of the houses.

During the meeting, the Deputy Chief Minister assured the players that he would personally appeal to chief ministers across the country to create dedicated training facilities and extend greater support for blind cricketers nationwide.