Revanth, KTR spar over projects

Hyderabad: Who should get the credit for the international airport, ORR and Metro Rail project was the issue that led to some arguments in the Assembly during the discussion on motion of thanks to the Governor’s Address.

Interrupting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy during his reply, former minister K T Rama Rao said that Hyderabad had developed at a very fast pace during the BRS rule. He said the international airport, ORR and metro rail were some of the examples.

Refuting this claim, Revanth said that all these projects were started in the undivided Andhra Pradesh and successive governments took them forward. Some were inaugurated by the Congress governments at that time.

Revanth Reddy said that KTR even boasted that they had set up the Narcotic Bureau to contain drug menace but he did not mention that they had given additional charge to C V Anand, but did not provide enough staff and facilities he had asked for to handle the menace.

While the present government had appointed a full-time officer and assured to release the money to see that they can have all necessary facilities.

Referring to the six guarantees, Revanth said they would get legality. At this point KTR asked where and when? Reacting to this, the chief minister said, “This is what happens when you come from the management quota. We will provide legality after discussion in the House.”

He said the BRS was upset that the Governor referred to people experiencing real freedom now. He said the Congress rule would be different from BRS. Unlike them, this government will not forget students who made Telangana possible and they don’t believe in removing Dharna Chowk. All those restrictions have been removed and that was the reason why the Governor said that people got real freedom now. The CM alleged that during the previous government farmers who died due to various reasons did not get money under Rythu Beema and most of them were in the age group of 18-60. He said the former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao had asked farmers not to sow paddy but he himself sowed 150 acres in his farmhouse. Congress will not behave like that, he said.

He also stated that contrary to the claims of KTR that Telangana was No 1 in per capita power consumption, the latest figures show that it was at the 10th place and number of borewells increased from 19 lakh to 29 lakh in ten years. He also referred to the way farmers were handcuffed for protesting and taken to courts. Both sides argued on the issue of alleged irregularities in sand mining. Revanth also took pot shots over the failure in conducting TSPSC exams. The motion of thanks was passed by a voice vote before the House adjourned till Wednesday.