The Opposition Congress party has taken a strong exception to what they called “trumpeting” of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government by the Governor, belittling his stature during his visit to Kaleshwaram project sites in the erstwhile Karimnagar district on Saturday.
Being a custodian of the Constitution how could the Governor shower praise crossing all limits, working president of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) M. Bhatti Vikramarka sought to know. Addressing a press conference along with party leaders V. Hanumantha Rao and D. Sridhar Babu here on Sunday, he remarked that it was unfortunate that the Governor had even failed to question why the State government had changed the name of the project that was named after father of the India’s Constitution B.R. Ambedkar.
Stating that Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella project was actually taken up by the previous Congress government with ₹38,500 crore and spent ₹10,000 crore. After change of guard in the State, Mr. Vikramarka alleged that the cost of the project had been increased to a whopping ₹80,500 crore by mere change of name. Instead of questioning the government for escalating the project cost by ₹50,000 crore the Governor had preferred to lavish praise on it.
National project
Further, by describing Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao as Kaleshwaram Chandrasekhar Rao and Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao as Kaleshwara Rao one would doubt whether Raj Bhavan would be known as TRS Bhavan soon, the Congress leader lamented. He felt that Kaleshwaram project would have been completed without any burden on the State had the Pranahita-Chevella been given national project status.
Mr. Vikramarka also alleged that the State Government had also escalated the cost of Sita Rama project by ₹10,000 crore by clubbing and changing the name of Indirasagar and Rajivsagar projects. He suggested the Governor to review the package-wise tenders of the project by summoning the successful bidders to Raj Bhavan. Stating that it was the responsibility of the Governor, the Congress leaders said they would complain against the Governor to the President, in case there was no such action.
Governor misinformed
Alleging that the State government had given wrong information to the Governor on the Kaleshwaram project, Mr. Sridhar Babu sought to know how it would rescue the farming community with the project. He also criticised the government on not making the relief and rehabilitation measures public and for not implementing the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. He suggested the Governor to invite the farmers displaced by the project to know the facts.
