The Hindu : Front Page : EC rejects State government’s plea again

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Wednesday, May 07, 2008
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EC rejects State government’s plea again

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Election Commission has on Tuesday rejected permission for conduct of “praja patham” for the second time, kept the decision on “rythu chaitanya yatra” on hold and barred implementation of the repealed Urban Land Ceiling law.

Causing acute embarrassment to the government, the Commission again rejected its plea to allow “praja patham” in the ten districts where byelections were being held. The government’s contention that it was an ongoing programme, aimed at identifying problems faced by people, especially in summer was turned down by the Commission. The Commission again held that “praja patham” was a “mass contact” programme, and, therefore, could not be allowed in places where byelections were due.

The government suffered another blow, when the Commission kept its decision “pending” on the representation made by it to clear conduct of “rythu chaitanya yatras” and “rythu sadassus” in the ten districts. It shocked the officials who had even announced the schedule beginning May 17.

In yet another disappointment, the Commission also barred the government from going ahead with the scheme formulated to regularise the occupation of lands coming under the purview of the Urban Ceiling Land Act.

Fax messages

Chief Electoral Officer I. V. Subba Rao who received fax messages conveying the Commission’s decisions, told reporters here on Tuesday that the Commission suggested that the scheme could be implemented only after byelections. The UCL Act was repealed through an amendment adopted by the Assembly recently.

A proposal made by the government for acquiring land in Godavarikhani area of Karimnagar district was disapproved by the Commission. It also ordered halt to recruitment of Village Revenue Officers but exempted those made on compassionate grounds.

The only consolation for the government was clearance of its proposal to recruit Hindi pandits for schools, but with the condition that posting orders should be issued only after the byelections. Its proposals to issue notification facilitating private parties to set up junior colleges and allow input subsidy to farmers who lost crops in the recent hailstorms and rain were also cleared.

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