Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao asserted that the government would not go back on the construction of irrigation projects, a key element in the decades-long struggle for separate statehood, and it has resolved to overcome the hurdles created by the “elements that are against the construction of the projects”.
The Chief Minister said land acquisition was mandatory for the construction of projects and the government offered better compensation than that offered by the Central Land Acquisition Act of 2013 through GO 123. Mr. Rao came down heavily on the opposition parties, the CPI (M) in particular, for instigating farmers against the government which was engaged in construction of Mallannasagar project that could supplement the needs of five northern districts as also the Sriram Sagar project.
Mr. Rao reiterated his government’s commitment to speedy completion of the irrigation projects that would usher in accelerated development during the passage of a Bill relating to land acquisition in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday. The issue witnessed a heated debate in the House as the Opposition Congress raised doubts on whether the State was empowered to amend the Central Act passed by the Parliament and the ruling party contending that the Bill had been introduced as an independent legislation in line with the provisions in Article 254 of the Constitution.
He said the government contemplated on bringing in the legislation following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s advise and enough care was taken to draft the legislation in consultation with the Attorney General and Central government departments. Several other States, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, enacted similar legislations and these were upheld by the courts. Mr. Rao said the government had deleted chapters 2 and 3 from the Central Act as they had become hurdles in the implementation of the Act in its letter and spirit.
“These have been consciously removed as they have been incorporated without adequate foresight,” he said. The State government was enacting the legislation keeping in view the larger interests of Telangana State and the Central government had expressed its willingness to give its consent for the new legislation. Mr. Rao, who criticised the CPI (M) for mobilising outsiders to create ruckus at Etigadda Kistapur and Mallannasagar for stalling the project, asserted that the government was committed to completing the project by next year-end and the project with a storage capacity of 50 tmc ft would be operational by June 2018.
He said the government was committed to complete the Kaleswaram and Palamur Ranga Reddy projects spending Rs. 1.4 lakh crore as they were designed as permanent solution to the problems faced by eight districts in the newly-formed State.
