RAJAHMUNDRY: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has made it clear once again that his Government is not dancing to the tune of the World Bank, and free power supply for farmers is a case in point.

At a press conference followed by East Godavari District Congress Committee meeting here on Monday, he said that the international funding agency was dead against the free power concept but the State Government had not succumbed to its pressure. He reiterated that the seven-hour power supply to the agriculture sector would continue and they would go for load relief (power cut) in cities and the urban areas for two to three hours a day. "For the past one month there has been no rain and eight districts are drought-affected. So, demand has increased to 180 million units per day, which has never happened earlier. The State Government is spending Rs.8.80 crore for buying power from other states. Even then we are not in a position to meet the demand. Hence, power cut is must for the urban areas," the Chief Minister said.

He recalled that the TDP Government in the last year of its tenure had allocated Rs.1550 crore for irrigation and his Government had allocated Rs.3300 crore and Rs.6400 crore for earlier two years and this year Rs.10,000 crore for this sector.

Godavari flood banks

He clarified that the Government was not going to utilise the water in Srisailam or Nagarjunasagar reservoirs for power generation. Replying to a question, the Chief Minister said that the Government would complete strengthening, increasing the height of river-bund and flood-banks before next rainy season. He said that tender process would be completed by the month-end and work would begin in October for Rs.1000 crore of estimated work. All medium and minor irrigation projects would be completed as per schedule.

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