BC bodies pour out woes before panel

- Representatives discuss various aspects including loans, jobs
- The list of grievances will be handed over to CM
- A demand of an industrial policy for BCs to develop as entrepreneurs was also put forth

Sangareddy: Representatives of various BC communities expressed their grievances in front of the members of Telangana legislative committee setup by the State government for the welfare of BCs who visited Sangareddy on Saturday. The representatives said that though the government was encouraging loan seekers from BC communities through BC Corporation to develop socio-economically the banks have been reluctant in giving them loans.

Gangadhar Goud, Chairman of the BC Welfare Committee, who presided over the meeting held at Zilla Parishad council room, patiently listened to the representatives and received representations from them, which he reviewed with district officials and district Collector and would hand over the same to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

Beeraiah Yadav, President of BC Welfare Association, Sangareddy, suggested the State government to give funds directly to the BC Corporation instead of the banks, as they were not disbursing loans to BCs. He demanded an industrial policy for BCs granting Rs 10 crore per unit and additional Rs 1 crore per unit for each of the 12 BC federations, so that BCs could develop as entrepreneurs. He demanded that self-managed BC hostels in the district be developed on par with the corporate school hostels and that funds for students’ mess are increased. He demanded the government to give necessities needed by farmers on 50 per cent subsidy and 33 per cent reservations be implemented in all legislative bodies.

B Mallesh, President of BC Sub-plan Committee demanded that the budget allotment should be as per proportion of population and that fee reimbursement and scholarship dues be paid to students immediately.

Demanding a new toddy tappers’ policy, representatives of Toddy Tappers’ Association expressed concerns over TCs licenses not being issued to them by district administration. They also complained to the Chairman that in the name of setting-up solar power plants, people were cutting down palm trees in the district. To this, the Chairman assured that perpetrators of such acts would be charged under PD Act.

Representatives of Kummari (potters’) community were worried about their jobs being taken away because of the increasing use of plastic, steel, bronze and aluminium products these days. The representatives also demanded that pottery, a prehistoric art which was going extinct, be developed as an industry in Telangana. To this, the Chairman said that the government was serious about providing training to people from the community to learn how to make refrigerators, cookers and other low-cost products using mud, which were being done in other States.

When members of Gangaputra, Besta and Mudiraj (traditional fishermen and hunters) communities raised their concerns, the Chairman answered that the State government was taking various measures to improve fisheries in the State by granting Rs 101 crore to fisheries out of which Rs 52 crore were already spent on distributing 38 crore fish seeds all over Telangana. He said that this year’s target was to provide 50 crore fish seeds.

Representatives of Rajaka Sangham(dhobis) reminded that though they were SCs in 18 States across the country, in Telangana they were still BCs and that their 60 years of struggle to be included in SC category couldn’t bear fruit. They said that 5 per cent reservations in jobs were not being implemented despite having a GO. The Chairman told them that the government had sanctioned 9 dhobi ghats in the district, out of which 2 were completed. “They are building houses and ghats with no water facility. What should we do with that?” asked a representative.

Representatives of Vaddera community expressed concerns over officials from revenue and mining departments filing cases against them in Zaheerabad area, though it was their right to make use of laterite (red rock) on which their community depended for a livelihood.

Members of Arey Katika Sangham, Medara Sangham and others communicated their concerns to the committee. Representatives of BC Minorities Sangham appreciated KCR for trying to give 12 per cent reservations to Muslim minorities.

Gangadhar Goud said that the committee would ensure that rule of reservations were being followed as per roster in government offices and that the government was also encouraging inter-caste marriages by giving Rs 10,000 as reward. He said that advocates enrolled in the bar would also be helped by the government in setting-up of their offices and that the community was also checking disbursement of scholarships and fee reimbursements.

He also revealed that while there were only 23 Gurukul schools in Telangana before its formation, the Chief Minister was sincere about taking that number to 500 from the coming academic year by spending more on education. “Banks were nationalized so that they could give loans to people at low interest. But instead of serving the common people, most of the banks are only helping big industries and not serving the interests of the weaker sections,” he said.