Akbar Demands Action Against Irrigation Contractors, Says Bickering in Poor Taste

Hyderabad: The AIMIM floor leader in the Legislative Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi, on Saturday slammed the past and present governments in unified Andhra Pradesh and subsequently in Telangana for the “sad story of broken promises, lopsided priorities, clumsy implementation and prolonged delays, and manifold cost increases and financial loot in the irrigation sector.”

Taking part in a short discussion on irrigation issues following a detailed presentation by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy in the Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi said the contractors were the only ones who benefited despite the state remaining in a helpless condition with successive governments blaming the previous ones “for their own acts of omissions and commissions.”

Irrigation projects have turned into ATMs, irrespective of who is in power, he said. “Why are we not looking into irregularities of contractors instead of just blaming the previous governments? There is a contractor who was earlier close to the BRS and is now close to the Congress. There must be an inquiry on this contractor. Why are we not holding contractors responsible for their failures?” he asked.

Then turning to Uttam Kumar Reddy, Akbaruddin Owaisi said, “Don’t be close to such people. Write to the Chief Minister from your department saying we should not be close to such people. This contractor was given a contract for benches in government schools at Rs 15,000 per bench while it costs only Rs 3,000.”

Questioning the point behind the PPT in the Assembly by Uttam Kumar Reddy, the AIMIM MLA said this appears to be to target the BRS in retaliation to the Opposition party’s attacks on the government on the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. “This is in bad taste for both sides, this mudslinging, washing dirty linen on PRLIS. Who is the government exposing? The BRS or itself? Our state interests should be above party interests and what if AP goes to the Tribunal and uses this presentation saying this is what Telangana wants to do and we will not agree to that. Bickering at the expense of the state on Krishna water sharing is not welcome,” he said.

On the absence of BRS MLAs and leader of the Opposition K. Chandrashekar Rao in the Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi said: “The one who doesn’t come to the House is dictating the agenda for the House. The one who said he will come and his party MLAs disappeared. Where is the poor man?” he asked.

He also demanded to know how the government arrived at its claim of Telangana’s share from Krishna water. In the White Paper, the government said it is 555 tmc ft, in a previous presentation it said it will be 737 tmc ft. “How did we arrive at the figure of 731 tmc ft for 29 ongoing and planned projects on the river? And the government must explain how much of the 811 tmc ft allocated to unified AP is self-generated from the catchment area in Telangana. If there are poor rains, then the state, and Hyderabad which depends on Krishna for drinking water will suffer. The irrigation minister must answer all these questions,” he said.