The Hindu : Ryots asked to revolt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Ryots asked to revolt

By Our Staff Reporter

BRAHMAMGARI MATHAM (CUDDAPAH DT) Sept. 21. The A.P. Congress Committee's Kisan Cell chairman and former Minister, K. Bapiraju, on Saturday called upon farmers not to pay power bills, until the Government ensured nine-hour supply per day as promised.

Addressing a public meeting here, Mr. Bapiraju charged the Government with failing to supply power for nine hours for agricultural services and hence farmers need not pay their power bills and must resist Transco officials. Voting back the Congress to power would alone help resolve the haphazard power supply, he said.

The Cuddapah MP, Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy, charged the State Government with lacking social consciousness and adopting lopsided priorities. Although the Government secured World Bank loans of over Rs. 40,000 crores, it had not spent a pie from it on irrigation projects, he alleged. Stating that the Telugu Ganga project was being implemented tardily due to meagre budgetary allocations, he said it might remain incomplete even after 15 more years at the present rate of funding.

The former Minister, D.L. Ravindra Reddy, wondered how water could be supplied through the Telugu Ganga project in November, in accordance with the Ministers' promises.

The project was only half complete and the Brahmamgari Matham, its right and left canals were incomplete. Stating that power supply for agricultural services was for not more than four hours a day, he alleged that borewells had been disconnected power supply in the mandal for want of clearing arrears.

The Food-for-work programme was being usurped by Ministers and ruling party leaders and no poor man had ever benefited, he alleged. Apologising to the people on complaints of he being inaccessible, Mr. Ravindra Reddy promised to stay put in Khajipet and go to people at least once in a week.

The former MLA, K. Prabhavathamma, said completion of the Telugu Ganga project and payment of compensation to the Somasila-submersible villages were long-standing issues to be resolved. She alleged that several structures were eliminated in the DN & DD published for payment of compensation. Predicting that the CLP leader, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, would become Chief Minister, she urged the people to vote the Congress to power in the next Assembly polls.

The ZP chairman, K. Suresh Babu, demanded an enquiry into the involvement of Ministers and MLAs in FFW and flayed the Government's threat to initiate action of sarpanches and village secretaries for irregularities. Not an acre in the district was irrigated under Telugu Ganga project even after 19 years, but drinking water was being sent to Chennai, he said. He lamented that the Congress lost power by mere two per cent votes in the last Assembly polls.

The DCC president, Shaik Hussain, said YSR's jana chaitanya yatra was aimed at making people aware of the CM's unkept promises. Alleging that the TDP leaders were attacking Dr. Reddy, he charged the TDP with not taking up any constructive programme so far. The Badvel constituency in-charge and DCC Kisan Cell chairman, D.C. Govinda Reddy, said Telugu Ganga's completion would be possible only if the Congress regained power. The A.P. Mahila Congress vice-president, Krishnamma, wanted Dr. Reddy to become Chief Minister so that the agriculture and power sectors would develop.

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