The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Congress MLAs to elicit public opinion on Polavaram

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 15, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Congress MLAs to elicit public opinion on Polavaram

Special Correspondent

Signature campaign to be launched in coastal districts on the project

HYDERABAD: Seeking "select confrontation" with the CPI(M) and the TRS on the Polavaram Project issue, Congress MLAs from the coastal region have decided to mobilise public opinion against those opposing the project.

A dozen MLAs of the Congress met at the Congress Legislature Party office on Monday and chalked out a public awareness campaign to educate people on the benefits of the project.

Seminar

A seminar will be held on March 16 with experts to discuss issues involving project while from March 19, a signature campaign would be launched in Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari and Krishna districts, to mobilise people against the "anti-Polavaram forces".

Ungutur MLA, V. Vasanth Kumar, later told reporters that there was no rationale to the objections being raised for the project that could benefit lakhs of people including the tribals. Only cynical minds would prefer to keep the tribals backward and deprive them of of modern comforts.

R&R policy

The relief and rehabilitation policy announced for the project oustees would also be explained to the people to counter the opposition argument that displaced persons would be deprived of proper ex-gratia. The Congress leaders would tell the tribals that they would see a qualitative change in their lives.

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