As Telangana becomes the 29th State on June 2, the Union Government on Thursday promulgated an ordinance merging some villages and mandals of Telangana with Seemandhra in a bid to deal with resettlement and rehabilitation those displaced by the Polavaram power project.
The ordinance, cleared by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday, aims to facilitate smooth resettlement and rehabilitation on part of the Polavaram multi—purpose project.
The amendment will enable land for land in the same revenue division where people will be displaced.
Politicians from Khammam district of Telangana region were demanding that Polavaram submergence areas in Bhadrachalam revenue division should not be merged with Seemandhra region.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2014 amends Section 3 of the main Act which seeks to create a separate State of Telangana.
Earlier on Thursday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the Cabinet had approved the recommendation of the Home Ministry.
Responding to posers on Telangana Chief Minister—designate K Chandrasekhar Rao’s bandh call to protest the transfer of villages to Seemandhra, he said, “There is no controversy. Please understand. The issue was decided earlier. The Cabinet had decided on Pollavaram project. The decision was taken long back. It was approved by many parties. Congress said they will go for ordinance, they did not bring. Keeping the broad unity of Parliament, the decision was taken.
“We have fulfilled the promise made both by BJP and Congress. There is no controversy. As far as the Central Government is concerned, both regions are important. When the bill was passed, all parties celebrated it, including parties opposing it,” he said.
