The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to request the National Board of Wildlife, Union government and the Central Empowered Committee to recommend reduction of the boundary of Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary from +5 contour to +3 contour to mitigate the problems of farmers.
The resolution focused on the affected livelihood of farmers after the Kolleru lake was declared a wildlife sanctuary up to +5 contour in 1999 and the inability of the State to pay compensation for the acquired lands running into thousands of crores as it would cause heavy financial burden on the exchequer.
But the resolution moved by Forest Minister Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy was not without fireworks as the opposition members sought to know the need for a second resolution when late Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy had already moved one and sent it for consideration of the Centre in 2008.
While Leader of the Opposition Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of unfairly taking credit for the resolution moved by YSR, Mr. Naidu reminded him that it was only after he (Naidu) promised to introduce a private Bill, Mr. Rajasekhara Reddy was compelled to move the resolution to appease Kolleru farmers in the run up to the 2009 elections.
Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy said YSR had only implemented the Supreme Court directive and removed encroachments in the lake. But realising the hardships of the farmers and the poor, he moved the resolution in the Assembly on September 4, 2008 for reducing the contour to +3 level. Subsequently, the National Board of Wildlife constituted a committee to study the issue from both the perspectives of farmers and lake conservation. He, however, extended his support to the government resolution.
