KCR, Bhatti spar over host of issues

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka locked horns on various issues when Assembly took up Appropriation Bill for 2019-20 on Monday.

Both the leaders engaged in serious discussion on few issues when K Chandrashekar Rao interrupted Bhatti Vikramarka's speech and said that he was misleading the House with his figures and lack of knowledge on few subjects. However, the arguments did not go overboard and there was no pandemonium like situation in the Assembly as both leaders stuck to subject related discussions.

During his speech, Bhatti Vikramarka spoke on different subjects like Vote-on-Account budget, government's stand on a few irrigation projects, Mission Bhagiratha implementation, loans procured for flagship projects etc.

Bhatti felt that 20 lakh acres of land could have been brought under cultivation if the TRS government could complete Pranahita-Chevella and Indira Sagar and Rajiv Sagar projects, works for which already started during the Congress regime in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Instead of completing these projects, the government went for redesigning, for which costs have been escalated and not a single drop of water reached farm lands until now, he said.

The CLP leader said that grants from Centre have not exceeded by Rs 10,000 crore every year. He also said that loans are essential, but he wanted the government to table in the House the DPRs given by government to commercial banks to have an idea of revenue streams that government would make use of to repay loans later. He also wanted to know whether common public would be burdened with water bills as was the case with the Jagtiyal Municipality which, was given a huge bill by the Mission Bhagiratha authorities.

The CLP leader wanted to know why the government floated separate Corporations to borrow money for projects if finally, it was the government that had to pay the money ultimately.

Commenting on Pranahita-Chevella, Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar projects, K Chandrashekar Rao said that his government went for redesigning of the projects as the earlier designs were faulty and would not have yielded desired results.

He said that while Indira Sagar and Rajiv Sagar projects proposed to bring only 2 lakh acres under irrigation in the erstwhile Khammam district, Seetharama project would cultivate nearly 10 lakh acres. 

He further said that Madhira, the constituency represented by the CLP leader also would get benefitted with the new redesigned project. Talking about loan repayments, the Chief Minister said that banks would trust government's capabilities before giving them money be it for free power scheme (in the combined State), or for irrigation projects or Mission Bhagiratha. 

Through irrigation projects, if more than one crore acres of lands are cultivated imagine the quantum of produce and the revenue it would bring to the farmers and also the State, he pointed out.

During the course of the discussion, when members from treasury benches made comments, Bhatti Vikramarka asked them not to take everything as negative but constructive only. He also asked them to be sportive as he was welcoming some measures and sharing his views on other initiatives for the benefit of the people.

During his reply, K Chandrashekar Rao said that whatever he was speaking was pure facts and people of Telangana were watching his statements. “The coming Lok Sabha elections would prove whether the TRS or the Congress did good to the people. If we were correct, the TRS candidates would win or else Congress's,” he added.