The residents of V. Venkatayapalem in Raghunadhapalem mandal are steeped in the memory of Zaheer Ahmad, a former Hyderabad civil service officer, who contributed his mite for the development of the village through multiple landmark initiatives.

The name of Mr. Ahmad, who was in-charge of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, and his development initiatives conjure cherished memories of the past.

V. Venkatayapalem was among a few villages adopted by the former bureaucrat around seven decades ago. He earned a reputation of being the visionary officer who laid a strong foundation for the holistic development of the village.

The spacious housing colony, scenic park, water tank, and verdant high school campus stand testimony to the approach of the officer.

Park named after him

In an effort to keep alive the memories of Mr. Ahmad, the villagers named the park after him and mooted installing a bronze statue of his in the park.

“Zaheer Ahmad developed our village in all spheres by constructing spacious houses, each measuring 350 sq. yards, on 17.5 acres for the weaker sections, upgrading the local school into a high school, constructing 60 feet-wide roads, and developing a spacious park,” said Y. Hanumantha Rao, a resident of V. Venkatayapalem.

A statue of Mr. Ahmad is ready for installation in the colony, he said, adding that they have already consulted sculptors in Rajahmundry in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to make a bronze statue of the officer.

“He used to come to the village occasionally on a horse, traversing a tough terrain, with a deep sense of attachment,” recalled Ramulamma, a resident.

“Our village has produced nearly 400 government employees, most of whom work on the Nagarjunasagar project (NSP),” said Hemalatha, the sarpanch of the village.

The residents owe a lot to Mr. Zaheer and former Chief Minister Jalagam Vengal Rao, who made invaluable contribution to the growth of the village, said another villager.

“The modernisation of the old minor lift irrigation scheme by the present TRS regime helped restore the full irrigation potential of the project to an extent of 1,320 acre,” he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by P. Sridhar / Khammam – February 21st, 2017