Rich tributes were paid to the chieftain of Gond tribe and freedom fighter Kumaram Bheem at his birthplace Jodeghat in Adilabad on Wednesday on the occasion of his 74th death anniversary with the Chief Minister
K Chandrasekhar Rao announcing an ambitious plan to develop the picturesque region in to a tourist destination. KCR who unveiled a statue of Kumaram Bheem and a memorial and laid foundation for a memorial building addressed a “Girijan Durbar”. Kumara Bheem had a revolt and armed struggle against the feudal landlords during the Nizam’s rule.
KCR promised to focus his attention to economically and socially uplift the tribals and put an end to deaths of the tribal people in seasonal diseases. “The death which continued in the united Andhra Pradesh will be stopped through effective measures to provide health care. We will send the doctors from the corporate hospitals to help the tribal people”, he said.
“To take Kumaram Bheem’s name to the international level we will develop a tourism center at a cost of Rs 25 crore at Jodeghat. The center will come up at an area of 100 acres of Government land”, he said. Jodeghat is a beautiful area nestled in deep forest in Khermaeri Ghat area of Adilabaad district.
KCR announced that Adilabad district will be divided in two parts and new district will be named after Kumaram Bheem. He also announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to Kumaram Bheem family and Government jobs for two members of the family.
It was for the first time that the death anniversary of the tribal freedom fighter was organised officially and it was attended by thousands of people. As the function was held in Maoist affected area, two thousand policemen were deployed as part of the elaborate security arrangements. Glimpses of colorful tribal culture and dance were also on display on the occasion.