Mangalagiri: Government flayed for not clearing bills worth Rs 1,277 crore

Mangalagiri: The representatives of farmers and water users' associations and the Telugu Desam Party leaders at a meeting on Monday decided to begin a legal struggle against the non-payment of bills for the Neeru Chettu works by the YSRCP government.

They accused the Jagan Reddy regime of not paying the Neeru Chettu bills towards works taken up and completed during the previous TDP rule.

It was just like how the NREGS payments were also not being paid for the works completed during the previous regime. Those who completed these works have been harassed and victimised ever since the YSRCP came to power in the State. Despite the courts' orders, the payments were not being made.

The TDP leaders, chairmen of project committees and distributary committees took part in the meeting. Water Users Associations Federation President Alla Gopala Krishna presided over the meeting.

They have decided to collect all the pending bills at the village level from all those contractors under the Neeru Chettu works. The required documents would be gathered in order to seek justice in the court of law.

Speaking on the occasion, former Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao said that the Neeru Chettu works had helped in increasing the productivity of crops and recharge of the groundwater table.

These works have also helped in providing fertile soil to the agriculture lands. The contractors were not coming forward to take up the Neeru Chettu works now because of the vengeful and atrocious attitude of the State government. All developmental works have come to a standstill in all sectors, he said.