Budget, a damp squib for Warangal

Warangal: The 'harsh reality due to economic slowdown' as stated by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will also have its impact on several development works being carried across erstwhile Warangal district.

The Budget presented by KCR made no significant allocations for developmental activity in the region.

Despite the kind of branding given to Greater Warangal as the next destination after Hyderabad, the ground reality had never corresponded to the denizens' aspirations with the city witnessing no significant development.

The budget has no mention about the Rs 300 crore special development fund per annum which the government was providing for Warangal city to improve infrastructural facilities for the last few years.

The denizens were expecting a windfall in the budget for the MGM Hospital, the lifeline of north Telangana region, which is in dire need of improving facilities and procuring medical equipment.

Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) which is yet to get its own campus has been allocated Rs 1.60 crore, far less compared to last year's allocation of Rs 8.22 crore.

The fund allocation to Kakatiya University has also come down. The allocation is said to be sufficient for salaries of the staff.

The allocation for the construction of Warangal Police Commissionerate was also too meagre. The government just allocated Rs 5 lakh compared to Rs 16.45 crore in 2018-19 budget.

On irrigation front, Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) is the only bright spot as far as irrigation projects are concerned. The budget offered Rs 1,080 crore for the KLIP, which was Rs 542 crore in 2018-19.

On the other hand, the fund allocation for J Chokka Rao Devadula Project was pegged at Rs 449 as against last year's Rs 1,220 crore.

It may be mentioned here that the Devadula Lift which was aimed at irrigating 6.21 lakh acres in three drought-parched districts of Warangal, Nalgonda and Karimnagar, is key for the farmers in the erstwhile Warangal.

PV Narasimha Rao Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi scheme will get Rs 100 crore in the present budget, this was much less than last year's Rs 353 crore.

The fund allocation to Sri Ram Sagar Project (Rs 87 crore), Pakhal (Rs 50 lakh), Ramappa (Rs 1 crore), Laknavaram (Rs 50 lakh), Mallur Vagu project (Rs 40 lakh) etc are also inadequate.

Even though the proposed periodical overhauling (POH) at Kazipet needs funds for land acquisition, there was no mention about it in the budget. The construction of Rs 50 crore Kaloji Kalakshetram in Hanamkonda had also came to a grinding halt some six months ago due to fund crunch.

Speaking to The Hans India, BJP leader and former MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy said: "The budget was disappointing. It's a reflection of financial indiscipline of the TRS Government. The government slashed fund allocation to all developmental works in the name of economic slowdown. The budget offers nothing for Warangal."

Communist Party of India State secretariat member Thakkallapalli Srinivas Rao blamed the people's representatives of TRS from Warangal. The government has no concern towards Mega Textile Park and Bayyaram steel plant.