Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Telugu Desam blames State

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party has blamed the State Government for the stinging order given by the National Environmental Appellate Authority (NEAA) cancelling the environmental clearance granted by Union Environment and Forests Ministry to the Polavaram project.

Addressing a press conference, TDP leaders, M. V. Mysoora Reddy, K. Kala Venkata Rao and M. Satyanarayana said the Government showed more interest in “hurriedly digging canals to no-where” and paying huge mobilisation advance of Rs. 270 crore to the contractors rather than conducting in-depth study on the project’s environmental implications and taking neighbouring States into confidence.

“Some of those in the Government were keen on getting commissions and not so much on proper planning and addressing the problems ,” they said demanding a white paper on the amount spent at various stages including land acquisition besides calling for an all-party meeting to discuss the latest situation.

They said it was surprising that during a review by the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the expenditure on the project so far was shown as Rs. 1,100 crore. In reality, one could only see canals and nothing else, apart from land acquisition. “Our allegation that irrigation projects were used as facade for dubious financial transactions is proved once again with the Government’s failure to convince the Appellate authority about the project”.

They recalled how the former Vigilance Commissioner, R. C. Samal, the Lok Ayuktha and the Comptroller and Auditor General have confirmed large scale misuse of public money in these projects.

“If the Government has shown some interest in designing aspect with a sense of anticipation, the clearance would not have been cancelled by the Appellate Authority”, they added.

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