Hyderabad: Telangana minister T. Harish Rao disclosed that the drivers, sweepers, attenders, liftmen, gunmen, PAs and other lower-rung staff working with ministers and even in the CMO and Secretariat in the united AP government had ‘leaked’ crucial information to the TRS leaders during the Telangana statehood agitation.
“The Telangana sentiment was so strong among the employees and the public that we used to get confidential and crucial information from these sections. A gunman of a minister used to give us information about the minister’s conversations with officials and other ministers with regard to the Telangana agitation. Even a lift operator at the Secretariat would immediately call up and disclose what ministers and officials would say in the lift. Most of the employees working in the Secretariat and other offices in Hyderabad used to pass on information, like so and so are going to be arrested tomorrow, based on which we would plan our agitation” Mr Rao said.
The strong T-sentiment had even helped them to expose the attempt of the Congress to distribute cricket kits to lure voters during the Karimnagar Lok Sabha bypolls in 2006.
Mr Rao added that it was because of the help extended by the common man along with a strong T-sentiment that they could break the police cordon and reach Tank Bund during the Million March in 2011. “I was arrested along with our party MLA Ravinder near Khairatabad. The police were taking us to the police station in the jeep. The jeep was stopped at a traffic signal at Khairatabad junction and we managed to get out and run away.
“A person riding a bike offered us a lift. A person near the Water Front restaurant told us that there were small boats on this side of the lake which we could use to reach Tank Bund,” he said.
On Hyderabad Metro realignment issue
The Telangana government is not rigid on the realignment of the Metro Rail project. The government had sought realignment near the Legislative Assembly building due to security concerns. The government offered to bear the additional expenditure that would be incurred on account of realignment. Similar, requests were made for realignment near Sultan Bazaar to save heritage markets besides the Moazam Jahi market.
L&T has been asked to resurvey the route for realignment along these stretches. If the survey finds that it is not technically feasible, we will accept it. It is not that we are forcing L&T to change the route.
The reports of L&T offering to walk out of the project was a conspiracy hatched by some vested interests to overshadow TRS’ victory in recent the Medak bypoll. TRS won with a thumping majority where the Opposition parties almost lost their deposits. We were expecting the media to highlight that angle. But shockingly, the report of L&T opting out of the Metro project made the headlines.
Look at the timing of the reports carried by the two Telugu newspapers on that day. They published a story based on a ‘leaked letter’ written by L&T to the government when Kiran Kumar Reddy was the CM in March 2014. The same letter was forwarded to the Telangana government.
Take on the Andhra Chief Minister
Chandrababu lives in lies and tries to manage the media with leaks. Ek jhoot ko dus baar bolke, usko sach banane ka koshish karta. We will expose him. We have always been truthful. He cheated us, so we called him a cheater. Now, he is a part of the Central ruling government. And even they are delaying on the power sharing issue. But we have approached two courts and we will even go to the Supreme Court if needed.
On TRS promoting hate rather working
We have been taking measures on the power front. Also, Rs 1,000 pension has been okayed instead of Rs 200 for senior citizens. We have achieved 75 per cent crop loan waiver and have given new loans.
Taking on the political opponents
We do not have any personal enmity with any person or party. As part of the government, we perform our duties. Sometimes while expressing ourselves, we cross the line and lose our tempers.
On attacking prime Minister modi
There were two ways of dealing with people. 1. If they are good to you, then you are good to them. 2. If they don’t listen to you, especially in politics, then you do halla gulla. We tried the first option, but it did not work. You might have noticed that in the first Union Cabinet itself, AP was given seven mandals despite our requests. Then the only option left was to do halla gulla. We will continue to attack the Centre and everyone who matters because things have not gone our way.
Need to reach out to people with policies
There is a need for propagation and we are not getting cooperation from all media organisations. Some media organisations are biased. In the Assembly session, we will highlight the facts about Telangana.
Love for his constituency
I love my constituency. My people are always on my mind. I maintain cordial relations with them. We reached out to Sabita, a farmer’s wife who attempted suicide because her husband’s name did not appear on the martyr’s list.
No personal equation with ysrc’s jagan
I have no equation with Jagan. I have never spoken to him, nor do I have his phone number. I just met him after Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy’s death. There is nothing more than that.
Suicides committed by farmers in Telangana
The government is taking all measures to take care of them. We have released input subsidy, reduced dairy prices, given free drip and sprinklers systems etc. It will take some time for the results to show. In Anantapur, 45 farmers have committed suicide, but the media has not picked that up.
Regularisation ofcontract employees
If you remove the contract employees, they will become jobless. Students will get jobs as the contract employees account for only 10 per cent. We are going to start hiring over a lakh of students and they will have access to 90 per cent of jobs.
Emotions and more
I can get sound sleep only when my people appreciate me and my work. During the Telangana movement, the situation was different and now that we are in the government, things are different. Back then while protesting, we were appreciated for whatever we did on field.
But now people want us to be responsible. I cannot jump in the state Assembly now.
On crisis caused due to AP’s non-compliance with Reorganisation Act
Talking about the power crisis in the state Harish Rao said, “Units of power supplied for Telangana districts in the combined state was much lower in the last 20 to 30 years when compared with what we have achieved over the last three months. We never thought that AP CM Chandrababu Naidu would cheat us like this. He has not followed the AP Reorganisation Act.
For 10 years, Hyderabad will be the joint capital and we are extending the required courtesies as per the Act. We have given AP ministers office space at the Secretariat, we have also given the Lake View Guest House.
As per the Reorganisa-tion Act, out of the existing and ongoing generating stations, Telangana should get 54 per cent of power share but Mr Naidu has not giving us that. AP is not sharing power generated from the Lower Sileru Hydel Power (470 MW) project in Khammam.
Despite the Godavari Board directing AP to share power of Lower Sileru and in spite of several reminders, they have not done the same.
They are using the power generated from the 1600 MW Krishnapatnam thermal power project on trial basis since the last four months. It is not being shared and they are delaying inauguration of the project intentionally to avoid sharing of power.
Mr Naidu also canceled the PPAs saying that there was no regulatory commission. There are four distribution companies in the state, two in Warangal and Khammam and two in Vizag and Tirupati in Andhra. Telangana discoms have invested '1,500 crore in the Krishnapatnam project. We deserve the rightful share as per the Act and also because of the investment. However, he said that AP was willing to share profits on investment but not power.
Other renewable energy resources are also not going to shared. Mr Naidu is doing all this mischief. If AP went by the Reorganisation Act, and shared power accordingly, Telangana would not have faced any power issues.
On plans to overcome the power crisis
We have entered into an agreement with BHEL in Khammam to develop a thermal power plant of 6000 MW capacity. This project will come up within one and a half years. Also, a 4000 MW dedicated generating station will be developed by NTPC as part of a Government of India Act as promised by the Centre. We have already signed the MoU.
We will be getting 1600 mw from Ramagundam and another 2000 MW of solar power will be developed (1000 MW with the Centre and 1000 MW with private developers). We have already called for tenders. We have received tenders for 1900 MW and tenders for 1000 MW will be finalized within a week.
Also we have entered into an agreement for purchase of 1000 MW of power from Chhattisgarh as PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India) is laying a new line from Bachupally to Wardha, which will be competed within 15 to 16 months. The agreement will be helpful for booking the transmission corridor of PGCIL as is a mandate to have a prior agreement of power purchase with another state.
We had intended to buy 2000 MW from Chhattisgarh but due to cancellation of coal blocks, they are only able to commit to 1000 MW.
Now with these plans in place we will get power in a phased manner. Meanwhile, we will get 600 MW power from Bachupally and Singa-reni 1200 MW from Jaipur. This can expected in a couple of months.
When TD is telling us to give them our power department and they will us solve the power problem, it’s all just a political gimmick. They should implement the Act instead of flouting it.”
