Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Govt. flayed for spending on `unproductive' schemes

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Nov. 12. The State Government came in for criticism in the Assembly both by its ally, the BJP, and its adversary, the CPI (M), for the way it had `frittered' away World Bank loans for unproductive programmes instead of using them for building irrigation projects which could have solved drought on a permanent basis.

Participating in the debate on drought in the Assembly, N. Indrasena Reddy, BJP floor leader, wanted to know how much of the huge loan had gone for medium and major irrigation projects and how much more area had been brought under irrigation. "In fact we need to evolve a system of social auditing of the amount spent and the returns from it.''

He said the Government should know that the drought was a recurring phenomenon and unless permanent steps like tapping Godavari water are taken the trend would continue. As much as 800 tmcft of Godavari water was going waste into the sea, while several parts of the State faced drought. He said when his party organised the "Sasyasyamala Yatra'' all over the State, the Government promised to create a Godavari authority, but nothing had been heard after that.

He took objection to the way the Congress was trying to politicise relief by writing to the Centre and staging "dharna'' in Delhi over the rice allotted to the State under the Food For Work (FFW) programme. He charged the Government with not utilising funds of Rs. 89 crores provided under the Minimum Needs Programme for drip irrigation.

The CPI (M) floor leader, N. Narasimhaiah, said though the debt burden on the State had gone up from Rs. 13,000 crores in 1994 to Rs. 50,000 crores now, not a single irrigation project had been taken up during the last seven years. The Government was talking about linking the Ganga and Cauvery but not the Godavari and Krishna. This step would have gone a long way in mitigating the drought. "With no permanent steps, the Government appears keen on sustaining the drought.''

The MIM floor leader Asaduddin Owaisi, alleged that only those wearing "yellow shirts'' had benefited from the Food For Work programme.

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