The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Diversion of Somasila waters opposed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Diversion of Somasila waters opposed

Staff Reporter

‘TDP is not against industries, but opposes diversion of water at the cost of local farming community’

NELLORE: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu has found fault with the government’s proposal of diverting 12 tmcft of water from Somasila balancing reservoir to industrial units that are coming up at Kadapa and Anantapur districts.

Coming down heavily on the ruling Congress, he wondered as to how the water could be diverted from Nellore to industries coming up in other districts.

“The TDP is not against any industry, but it will oppose diversion of water to industries at the cost of the local farming community,” he said while addressing public meetings at different places, including Podalkur, Adoorpalli and others in the district as part of his ‘Mee Kosam’ programme on Wednesday.

Slamming the ruling Congress for its alleged failure to check prices, he, in an oblique reference to Rs. 2-a-kilo scheme, pointed out that short-term populist measures were not the way to address the real problems of people. He wondered as to why the Centre was not taking a look at how much raw material they were procuring directly from the source and how that was causing artificial scarcity in the market, resulting in rising prices.

State blamed

Blaming the government squarely for the current crisis, he said, “You do not give remunerative price to farmers, so they sell their produce to private players at better rates. Then you import essential commodities at higher rates, which obviously leads to inflation.”

The TDP president reiterated that it was time to teach a lesson to the Congress, both at the State and the Centre with raging inflation and price rise sending the poor as well middle class families’ monthly budget into a tizzy. Referring to Whole Sale Price Index-based inflation rate, which has touched 7 per cent for the first time in six years, Mr. Naidu asked the ruling Congress as to what steps it had taken to lessen the burden on all segments of the population, which were reeling under the assault of raising prices, particularly those of essential commodities.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh