The Hindu : Ramamurthy Naidu's dharna throws traffic out of gear

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 18, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Ramamurthy Naidu's dharna throws traffic out of gear

By Our Special Correspondent

The CM's brother, Ramamurthy Naidu, on a dharna along with his followers on the Tirupati-Chittoor highway on Thursday.

TIRUPATI April 17. The political tantrums of N.Ramamurthy Naidu, the younger brother of the Chief Minister, N.Chandrababu Naidu, continue unabated in the Chandragiri constituency in Chittor district. The junior Naidu today sat on a dharna along with his followers on the busy Tirupati-Chittoor highway protesting against the G.O issued by the Government giving permission to the TTD to divide the Cherlopalle tank-bed into house-sites for allotment to the TTD staff for construction of a housing colony.

Briefly addressing a meeting even as vehicular traffic was thrown out of gear on the highway for nearly an hour in the wake of the road-blockade, Ramamurthy Naidu, who was also the former MLA of the Chandragiri constituency, made a scathing attack on the TDP Government's dual stand on its much-touted water conservation programmes. He questioned the propriety and wisdom behind the State Government's decision to convert the 189-acre Cherlopalle tank bed into a TTD housing colony even as it was shouting from the housetops rather ironically that it would not allow irrigation tanks to be closed, misused and encroached upon by land-grabbers.

He feared that if the tank was converted into a concrete jungle, it was sure to affect the groundwater table in the surrounding villages, which largely depended on it.

But the argument of the other camp is that the tank never had water in it during the last two or three decades after the construction of the Kalyani dam in the upper-reach.

They also argue that the tank bed was already being used for running brick-kilns ever since being amply sure that there would neither be such a downpour, nor a deluge into the tank going by the monsoon activity in the district during the last two decades as admitted by the Chief Minister himself during his tour in these parts last week. Mr. Ramamurthy Naidu, however insisted that the tank should be allowed to remain as a tank as otherwise its closure for the purpose of a housing colony would badly hit the drinking water needs of Tirupati, surrounding villages and thousands of livestock that depended on it in times of a good monsoon.

He charged that the move ran counter to the spirit and themes of the TDP Government's much-hyped Neeru-Meeru and Jalayagnam programmes.

Mr. Ramamurthy Naidu submitted a memorandum to this effect to the District Collector and circulated copies of the same to mediapersons as well. Among the other signatories were K.Lokam Naidu, the local MPP and others.

Charge denied

Meanwhile, Chairman and the Managing Director of the NRI unit, Amara Raja Batteries, Ramachandra N. Galla, has taken serious exception to the `baseless and unfounded' charges levelled against the factory by Ramamurthy Naidu at a press conference here. Incidentally, Mr. Ramachandra Galla is the husband of Galla Arunakumari, the Cong-I MLA of Chandragiri, who defeated Mr. Ramamurthy Naidu in the last elections.

It may be recalled that Mr. Ramamurthy Naidu, in his controversial remarks yesterday, attributed motives to the visit of the Major Industries Minister, K.Vidyadhara Rao, to the factory on Tuesday and also charged that it was indulging in evasion of tax through manipulations obviously using its clout with the powers that be in the governmnt.

The factory's CMD in a signed statement issued here today strongly rebutted all the charges and regretted that such irresponsible statements would only go to deter the NRIs from investing in the State. If he cannot prove his allegations he should apologise, Mr. Galla said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Govt. to move SC against Karnataka

Ramamurthy Naidu's dharna throws traffic out of gear

Ryots protest Collector's 'rude behaviour'

Five lakh tonnes of rice for panchayats

YSR yatra altering equations in Cong.