OTS nothing but 'looting of the poor', says Congress

Vijayawada: The state government which had announced that the one-time settlement (OTS) was only voluntary, is setting targets to the government employees and bringing pressure on the beneficiaries is highly deplorable, said Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee working president Dr N Tulasi Reddy.

In a statement here on Thursday, he said that the Jagananna Sampoorna Bhu Hakku scheme has become Jagananna Garibi Dopidi (looting of the poor) scheme since the scheme has been designed to rob the poor of Rs 5,000 crore. "It is highly atrocious on the part of the Jagan administration to collect Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for the houses that were built decades ago," he said.

Dr Tulasi Reddy demanded the government to register the houses free of cost if it had any love for the poor. Referring to the non-allocation of funds to the railway projects, he said that several projects came to a standstill since the state government did not extend its share of the funds for them. He demanded the state government to immediately allocate necessary funds for the railway projects in the larger interest of the state.