Officials told to prepare next course of action on Polavaram project

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said the MPs of the BJP and the TD should have opposed the Polavaram Ordinance in Parliament.

“Even though the Ordinance was passed in the Lok Sabha, the fight against it shall continue and the modalities will be announced later,” said the Chief Minister, adding that the Centre had ignored the pleas of Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha for changing the Polavaram dam design.

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao also held discussions with minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao and engineer-in-chief Muralidhar, principal secretary, irrigation, Arvind Reddy, irrigation adviser Vidya-sagar and other officials to chalk out the next course of action against the merger of the mandals under the Polavaram project.

The state government has decided to consult legal luminaries and constitutional experts in this regard.

“In fact the Polavaram design should have been changed instead of going ahead with passing of the Ordinance and the issue could have been amicably settled,” the Chief Minister said.

TJAC chairman Prof. Kodandaram, who sought support of all political parties against the passage of the Polavaram Bill, said the central government’s action was against the federal spirit. “Girijans have special rights and they cannot be uprooted from their homes in such a brazen manner,” he remarked.

TRS MPs A.P. Jitender Reddy, B. Vinod Kumar, K. Kavitha, B.B. Patil, Kadiam Srihari and others also condemned the passage of the Bill and called it unconstitutional and undemocratic.