KCR Wanted Bison Polo Ground for New Sectt, Held Back Navy Project
Hyderabad: The Congress government on Tuesday slammed the BRS for politicising the establishment of the Indian Navy’s VLF (very low frequency) station at Damagundam forest in Pudur Mandal of Vikarabad district. Forests and Environment Minister Konda Surekha said it was the BRS government that had given all permissions and approvals.
“Our government completed the formalities only after establishing that the project will have no adverse impact on the health of people and that the environment in and around the proposed station in the forested area will be preserved,” she said.
Surekha said, “fact is that the then BRS Chief Minister did not give the final go-ahead as the BRS government wanted the defence ministry to hand over the Bison Polo Ground in Secunderabad for constructing the Secretariat. Apparently, some Vaastu person told him that unless the Secretariat is built where the polo ground is, his son will not become Chief Minister. Because the Centre did not agree to hand over the ground, the BRS government sat on the proposal.”
The Congress government had issued final orders and handed over on January 25, 1,174 hectares of forest land in Vikarabad district to the Navy for setting up its radio communication station.
Ever since, there has been criticism from local BRS leaders, that was joined in by party working president K.T. Rama Rao, who on Monday claimed that the ‘radar station’ would impact public health and biodiversity and that was the reason the BRS government never gave the final go-ahead.
Surekha said: “It was back in 2017 that the BRS government, through GO No. 44 finalised approvals for the project. Had the Centre agreed to give the Bison Polo Ground to the state government, we are certain that the then Chief Minister would have handed over the Vikarabad land to the Navy.”
Surekha said: “No villages will be asked to move. There are no fears of people getting diseases like cancer from radiation. Even the High Court has cleared the way for the project by dismissing opposition to the project.”
She said that the Navy had deposited Rs 55.80 crore towards compensatory afforestation in 1,174 hectares of degraded forest land in lieu of the land allotted for the project.
