Rajahmundry: Sir Arthur Cotton’s great-grandson Robert Charles Cotton and his wife expressed gratitude after their felicitations  by the state government here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion Robert Charles Cotton said that they will encourage their children and their families to continue the special bond with the Godavari and Krishna districts and other places in India. He said that meritorious students of universities in their country would be advised to visit the Godavari Delta area on during their world tour.

Recalling the invitation from late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, who envisaged another major irrigation project –Polavaram – across the Godavari, he said that they were shocked to here the tragic death of the former chief minister in a helicopter crash. The Cotton couple felt that they were immensely pleased to view the Cotton Museum. The couple thanked hundreds of farmers who welcomed them. Later, the couple went to Cotton Peta in Dowleswaram, where the local youth put up a bronze statue of Sir Arthur Cotton and unveiled it.

The couple was felicitated by Ministers Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Pilli Subashchandra Bose, P. Viswaroop, MP Vundavalli Aruna Kumar, MLA Rowthu Suryaprakasha Rao, ZP Chairperson Ch. Venugopala Krishna and RDO Challa Vinayamohan at Subrahmanyam Maidan.