Hyderabad: Continuing its opposition to the Ordinance on Polavaram, the TRS MP from Nizamabad K. Kavita on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of the Ordinance and asked the Centre to open a dialogue with the concerned four state governments before proceeding further.
Participating in the thanksgiving motion for the President’s address to Parliament, Ms Kavita chose to speak on the controversial Polavaram issue. “We are not against the Polavaram dam or Andhra government getting additional water for irrigation, but there is need to change the design of the dam.
There are alternatives which could be explored before going ahead as the present design will only result in submersion of huge tracks of tribal land and displacement of adivasis which is against the Constitution,” Ms Kavita said. The controversial Ordinance on Polavaram, transferring 205 villages in seven revenue mandals in Khammam district of Telangana to Seemandhra to facilitate construction of the dam as well as taking up rehabilitation works in submerged areas, was tabled in the Parliament on Monday.
While thanking Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP leader Sushma Swaraj for making Telangana a reality, Kavita also asked them to come to the aid of adivasis who are facing displacement. She said it is time to get the Women Reservation Bill passed in Lok Sabha to do justice to women who account for 50 per cent of the population.
In a related development, Karimnagar TRS MP B. Vinod Kumar on Tuesday moved a statutory resolution seeking disapproval of the Polavaram Ordinance under 123(a) of the Constitution. If the statutory resolution is passed, the Presidential proclamation would seize to exist. Meanwhile, in Rajya Sabha, Congress MP from Telangana, Palvai Govardhana Reddy too demanded immediate withdrawal of the Ordinance.
However, this was countered by Congress MP and former Union minister of state J. D. Seelam who said Polavaram would provide irrigation, navigation and generation of hydel power and hence the construction should not be obstructed.
