An NRI from Washington brings focus on Nalgonda fluorosis problem at World Telugu Conference

HYDERABAD: As NRIs from across the globe have come to celebrate Telugu language at the World Telugu Conference in the city, Sudheer Jalagam, an NRI from Washington, US, has brought focus to the biggest problem of fluorosis particularly in Nalgonda and also Nizamabad. A software professional, Sudheer Jalagam met Nizamabad MP Kalvakuntla Kavitha at the conference on Sunday and gave her a representation about the problem and what additional measures should be taken.
Sudheer Jalagam also wrote a letter to chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that a Regional Fluoride Mitigation and Research Centre at Choutuppal had been planned but it had not become a reality. Eight acre land was also allotted to the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) for the purpose of starting the research centre in 2014 itself.
"The problem of fluorosis is severe. It has to be wiped out completely," Sudheer Jalagam told TOI. Though as an NRI, Sudheer Jalagam can live in the US, he said he felt it was his responsibility to be concerned about the place he hails from. "It is not enough if we NRIs are happy leading better quality lives abroad. We should be bothered about the quality of life of people living in our villages in Telangana," he said.
Sudheer Jalagam who toured several villages in Nalgonda district said he found many people affeced by dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis – a problem that has persisted the district for decades. He said a hospital should be set up at a cost of Rs 100 cr for treating patients in Nalgonda district. He pointed out to MP Kavitha that the problem was rampant even in Bodhan of Nizamabad district. Because of the fluoride content in water, it causes harm in the body. Victims are rendered incapable of walking.
The NRI has also met several ministers urging that a corporation be set up with Rs 1,000 cr. "This should help fluorosis affected people with employment and other opportunities for them to lead a normal life. They also needs pensions," he said. "The Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha will solve the problem of fluorosis to an extent but much more needs to be done," he said.
It is not just the fluorosis issue that the NRI has taken up. He has also visited several schools in Telangana and introduced a concept called 'Tea with Headmaster' in nearly 30 government schools. This is on the lines of how it is done in the US. "In several schools now, headmasters are meeting with parents, holding a meeting and discussing issues pertaining to the schools and students and solving them together," Sudheer Jalagam said. He also highlighted the pathetic condition of the government hospital in Kodad, and also a local park that needs to be protected. He has taken up all the issues with several ministers including Irrigation minister T Harish Rao, deputy chief minister Kadiam Srihari and Panchayat Raj minister Jupally Krishna Rao.
For Sudheer Jalagam, it is not just a visit to his motherland for the sake of old times. His wife and son have also come to live in Hyderabad for sometime – with he taking off time from work. "My son Vedansh should experience the joy of living with our own people. This is what memories are all about," he said.