Tribal Welfare Minister P. Balaraju pulled up a couple of officials for their alleged negligence or not bothering about consequences of their action, while reviewing implementation of programmes in Agency area and GVMC area, here on Thursday.
Mr. Balaraju was angry with Divisional Forest Officer for ordering suspension of drilling of a borewell, claiming that procedure of making a proposal, etc. was not done. The Minister was furious that a lower-rung official went to the spot and ordered stoppage of work and threatened to file a case against those doing the work. The drilling rig was taken away.
“Do they (Girijans) have to live at your mercy? You threaten to file cases against Girijans on flimsy grounds. What will you do if they file cases against you? Is this (stopping digging borwell) not an atrocity? This is meant for providing drinking water since the summer has already set in.
"I am very much pained. For whose sake the Government is working and from whom the proposal should come for digging the borewell?” Mr. Balaraju asked.
Collector V. Sheshadri too found the action not proper and wanted the Forest Department officials to understand the spirit of an Act. Works for providing drinking water should not be stopped and prior permission must be taken from the Project Officer of ITDA or the RDO, he said.
Earlier Additional Joint Collector and PO in-charge of ITDA Y. Narasimha Rao said work on strengthening of roads, which is not a road-widening work, was also being objected to by the Forest Department and digging of borewell was stopped.
Mr. Balaraju was also not happy with Project Director DRDA for not conducting propaganda about Stree Nidhi and interest-free loans. He said he had nothing personal against the officials but only wanted to remind them about the gaps in implementation of the programmes and schemes of the Government meant for the welfare of the people.
Flags off vehicles
Earlier he flagged of publicity vehicles of the Indiramma Kalalu programme meant to explain to the people about the ST and SC Sub-Plans.
