‘Kondaveedu Fort will be a historical tourism destination’

Minister for Finance and Legislative Affairs Buggana Rajendranath Reddy on Saturday announced a series of measures to showcase the Kondaveedu Fort as a heritage tourist destination.

Mr. Rajendranath Reddy, along with Minister for Panchayat Raj Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, inaugurated the Kondaveedu Heritage Museum on the foothills of the fort at Hauzpet.

Later, Mr. Reddy drove up to the fort along with MLAs and District Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar, where he said that he would hold a review meet on the development of the fort with all departments at Secretariat on October 18.

Among the issues that would be discussed are completion of 0.75 km stretch of approach road atop the hill fort estimated at a cost of ₹12 crore, setting up parking lots, construction of a children’s park, restoration of the stonewalled fortification around the fort and setting up of a substation to meet the demands of a lighting system.

A proposal for setting up a water plant would also be discussed.

Reddi kings

Earlier, Mr. Reddy reminisced about the contribution of Reddi kings to the development of art, literature and culture in the State. “The Reddi kingdom introduced the system of flexible taxation and abolished local taxes to encourage trading,” Mr. Reddy said. “The literary legacy of poets like Yerra Pragada who flourished during the reign of Reddi kings is also a remarkable feature of Reddi rule,” he said, adding that the legacy of the Reddi rulers and their magnanimity is being continued by Chief Minister Y.S Jagan Mohan Reddy.

District Collector I. Samuel Ananda Kumar said that all measures would be taken to develop the fort.