The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Telugu Desam skips debate on Gundlakamma

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 13, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Telugu Desam skips debate on Gundlakamma

Special Correspondent

Telugu Desam stays away from the exercise

ONGOLE: The debate on Gundlakamma reservoir project, held here on Sunday under Jalayagnam, focused mostly on two issues - steep hike in project cost and delay in relief for prospective evacuees.

The Telugu Desam Party stayed away from the debate on the plea that the project was sanctioned by Chandrababu Naidu Government. Mr. Prabhakar of BJP took strong exception to the increase in project cost from Rs. 165 crores to Rs. 453 crores. The project would provide irrigation to 80,000 acres and drinking water to 43 villages.

Irrigation advisor to the State Government, Sitapathi Rao, explained that the hike was due to better relief package provided to the evacuees (Rs. 126 crores), change of designs (Rs. 134 crores) and inflation (Rs. 28 crores). He admitted that the Government had given administrative approval only for Rs. 165 crores in October 2003. But the geological survey report, obtained later, stated that there were "buried steams" at the proposed site and found that the site was unfit for construction of the project. So the engineers had to study three other alternative sites before zeroing on the present location. As there are buried streams at the present location too, they had to change the designs. This change of location and designs had pushed up the project cost, he contended.

Stating that the designs were prepared by the Irrigation Department engineers and approved by the Central Designs Organisation, he pleaded with the political representatives to believe them and desist from casting aspersions humiliating them. "Had we constructed the project at the first location, it would have been washed away by now," he said. But Mr. Prabhakar refused to be convinced. He said that as the State Government changed, the project location changed and so the project cost changed to benefit the contractors. But Venkateswara Reddy, Congress-I MLA, rebutted him stating that the project cost was hiked during the regime of the TDP. This led to a heated argument.

Compensation

Mr. Prabhakar also criticised the officials for delay in finalising compensation for lands and houses to be submerged under the project. Even though 7,891 acres of land need to be acquired, officials acquired only 350 acres till now and acquisition was in advanced stage for another 500 acres. He said that the Government delayed acquisition due to funds crunch.

CPI (M) activists arrested

Meanwhile, the police arrested 22 activists of CPI (M) when they staged dharna in the Collectorate seeking immediate payment of compensation for prospective evacuees.

When the police foiled their attempts to submit a representation to Sitapathi Rao, they raised slogans. They were later released.

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