Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has announced his Government’s resolve to institute an inquiry by the Crime Investigation Department into encroachment of wakf lands.
“I will issues orders soon ordering a probe by the CID into Wakf lands issue,” the Chief Minister said. He was responding to a request made by the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen members during the debate on Palle and Pattana Pragati programmes in the Assembly on Thursday.
He said the government had already taken several measures to protect Wakf and Endowments lands. These lands were frozen in the Dharani portal so that no transactions or registrations were allowed on these lands. The Chief Minister however rejected the request by members to give more time for the traders and workers at Gaddiannaram fruit market which was being vacated for the construction of a super speciality hospital there.
Keeping in view the fact that there was need to improve hospital infrastructure in the State, the government had decided to construct three more hospitals on the lines of Telangana Institute of Medical Sciences (TIMS) in Gachibowli. The intention was to create hospitals with bed strength of around 6,000 to 8,000 with all the infrastructure and amenities like oxygen beds to cater to the needs of people.
He recalled how the government had improved the infrastructure in the light of COVID-19 pandemic in the past few months and said from 7,000 beds with oxygen facility, the number had not gone up to 27,000 in different hospitals. Steps were taken to enhance oxygen generating capacity rather than depending on others for supply of cylinders and it would soon reach 500 tonne mark.
Schemes like Mission Bhagiratha launched by the State Government received acclaim from different States as well as the Centre and it had brought down the spread of communicable diseases significantly. Nalgonda district which was known for its fluoride cases had now been declared fluoride-free district by the Centre after the launch of Mission Bhagiratha.
“NITI Ayog was impressed by the one of its kind scheme (Mission Bhagiratha) so much that it recommended release of ₹24,000 crore for the scheme. The Centre, however, did not release any funds,” he lamented. The Centre had also in fact cut down the Finance Commission’s recommendation for release of funds for rural development by 25 per cent. As a result, releases to local bodies came down from ₹1,847 crore to ₹1,340 crore,” he said.
