Date:03/06/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/06/03/stories/2005060313020400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Naxal threats to TRS will not be tolerated, says Chief Minister

Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH: The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, on Thursday warned that the Government would not tolerate the CPI (Maoist) ultimatum and threats to the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders.

He made a transit halt at Cuddapah aerodrome for refuelling of the helicopter while returning from Chittoor. Dr. Reddy took strong objection to the Maoists' threats to the TRS Ministers to quit the Cabinet, snap ties with the Congress and to resist the party leaders' entry into villages. "All have freedom of thought and expression, but they should be within the democratic framework," he said. Condemning the Maoist threats, he advised them to work within the tenets of the Constitution.

Hits back at TDP

Replying to a query on the TDP President, N. Chandrababu Naidu's charge that farmers incurred a loss of Rs. 4,000 crores due to lack of remunerative prices for crops, the Chief Minister alleged that the agriculture sector was grossly neglected in the nine-year TDP rule. While Mr. Naidu dubbed agriculture a wasteful avocation, his Cabinet colleagues ridiculed farmers who were ending their lives, saying they did so due to mental derangement, he recalled.

During his earlier transit halt for half an hour from 9.50 a.m. while proceeding to Chittoor, he reviewed developmental works in Pulivendula constituency. He wanted priority accorded for internal roads. He discussed with the OSD of Pulivendula, R. Hariprakash, and other officials about Pulivendula town development, road widening and removal of encroachments.

Pipes for water supply

The Chief Minister announced sanction of Rs. 1.50 crores for shifting water pipelines from Bandikanuma to Cuddapah to augment drinking water supply to the district headquarters. The Joint Collector, Kanthilal Dande, and the Cuddapah Municipal Commissioner, S. Aleem Basha, submitted a Rs. 9-crore proposal for promoting greenery in the town during the next five years.

Tripartite meet opposed

Our Tirupati Special Correspondent writes: Dr Rajasekhar Reddy expressed his disinclination against going in for a tripartite meeting with his Maharashtra and Karnataka counterparts to sort out the differences over the construction of dams by the two riparian states across the Godavari and Krishna rivers in the upper reaches in alleged violation of the tribunal awards. "I do not think that the tripartite or bipartite negotiations at this stage would take us anywhere, he said in an informal chat with mediapersons at the Veterinary College helipad in Tirupati where he arrived for a farmers' meet.

When a reporter pointed out that since all the three States involved in the dispute were under Congress rule and that he could request the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, to take the initiative for a tripartite meeting between the three Chief Ministers to hammer out an amicable solution to the disputes, Dr Reddy did not seem to be interested in the suggestion. He said the Krishna Water Tribunal incharge of the river water disputes between the State and Karnataka already had a sitting and would be asked to have another soon to take up Andhra Pradesh's complaint against Karnataka.

Babli project

On the controversial construction of the Babli checkdam , Dr Reddy said that he had already written thrice to the Maharashtra Government to stop at once the unauthorised construction.