Hyderabad: Mission Bhagiratha scheme became a flash-point for arguments between Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs V Sunitha Laxma Reddy and P Sabitha Indira Reddy, against Telangana Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka during the assembly session on Thursday, March 26.
The argument was sparked after the BRS’ women MLAs, who were the former ministers, were praising the developmental efforts of the previous BRS government. When Sunitha Laxma Reddy raised the issue of acute drinking water crisis presently in Narsapur, the constituency which she represents, and lack of funds being given for various works in the villages, Seethakka intervened.
Seethakka alleged that recently a drinking water shortage drama was staged by some people in Maheshwaram constituency which is represented by Sabitha Indra Reddy, and that the MLA was passing from there and stopped to blow the issue out of proportion in the media.
“There were people saying it was better when KCR was there, while a woman was saying it was not right to blame those doing good work now,” Seethakka alleged, observing that it was a politically-motivated fake stunt to blame the Congress government.
Sabitha Reddy stood and said that she only stopped there as a people’s representative to address the problem and report it to the officials concerned.
Seethakka was angered and reminded the women MLAs that they both had served as ministers in the Congress government led by former chief minister late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR). She added that they were now on the “other side of the aisle” criticising the party which gave them such importance.
Sabitha Reddy also reminded that she was not just made the minister, but the then Congress government had filed 5 CBI cases after the demise of YSR, just because she supported the family members of YSR. Sabitha also said that they have served the Congress since the beginning, and didn’t enter the party midway like Seethakka.
Seethakka retorted saying even after having the cases filed against her, Sabitha still contested as the Congress MLA before joining the BRS. “Yes, I joined Congress later. I came from the most remote place representing those living in the forests. There is no comparison between you and me. You come from the privileged sections living in Hyderabad, while I’m not,” she said.
Sabitha Reddy maintained that as people’s representatives who had served as ministers, they never differentiated people on the basis of their backgrounds. The argument which began with drinking water issues, then jumped to Kalyana Lakshmi scheme, when Sunitha Reddy alleged that in Hathnoor mandal of her constituency, Kalyana Lakshmi cheques were not being given to the beneficiaries even after the birth of the child and the child became a toddler.
She alleged that the local officials were holding the cheque stating that it had to be given to the beneficiaries from the hands of the minister concerned (Seethakka). Taking a serious objection to it, Seethakka asked Sunitha Reddy to furnish the details of the official so that action could be initiated, and also the details of any such beneficiaries, so that the benefit could be provided immediately.
Even as the argument was spiraling out of control, with BRS MLAs questioning what happened to Congress’ manifesto assurances of one tola gold to brides, scooty for female students and other assurances made.
Seethakka questioned what happened to BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s promise of making a Dalit the first chief minister of Telangana, 3 acres of land for SCs and STs under the land purchase scheme among other assurances.
Deputy Chief Minister Bhati Vikramarka had to intervene to control the situation.
He alleged that Mission Bhagiratha scheme was solely designed to benefit the pipeline companies, and that mandal-level water supply schemes that were designed to supply drinking water to villages were ‘locked’ and discontinued to implement Mission Bhagiratha for tens of thousands of crores of people’s money.
He gave the examples of Adilabad and also Madhira, the constituency represented by him, to claim that Mission Bhagiratha water wasn’t reaching the villages. A little earlier, BJP Sirpur MLA Palvai Harish Rao too had alleged that in his constituency or in Adilabad, not even 50 percent of villages were receiving water through Mission Bhagiratha.
Bhatti alleged that situation was so grim that pipelines laid under Mission Bhagiratha were blowing up everywhere, and sending water hundreds of kilometres for treatment, and then delivering it back wasn’t useful in any way. He said he was ready to send a committee to the BRS MLAs’ constituencies to show them what were the issues concerning Mission Bhagiratha in the rural areas.
Bhatti asserted that no Kalyana Lakshmi or Shaadi Mubarak cheques were getting delayed from the finance department, and that if there was some issue, it must have happened locally, at the level of the MLA or the official concerned. He asked the BRS MLAs to give him the details of such delays if any, so that he could immediately address it and take action.
He urged the BRS MLAs to stick to speaking on the demands for grants, which was the topic of discussion. The argument that turned too personal, finally ended.
Arogyasri and CMRF push to medical college hospitals
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has announced that with a view to strengthen the government medical colleges and teaching hospitals, in the near future the services of Rajiv Arogyasri and CM Relief Fund funds will be directed more towards such institutions, instead of private hospitals.
By doing that, he said not only the patient flow will increase in the government medical colleges and their hospitals in the districts, and in the Telangana Institutes of Medical Sciences (TIMS); but even the medicos pursuing MBBS and higher education in those institutions, including the students pursuing nursing, will get more hands-on experience.
“There were political decisions taken on Arogyasri in the past which I don’t want to discuss. Even they know the truth,” Revanth Reddy said.
He was replying to Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao’s query on the payments being made to the hospitals for Arogyasri services, what were the outstanding dues, and if it was true that private hospitals were refusing treatment for major surgeries to patients because they weren’t getting paid through Arogyasri scheme.
Health Minister Damodar Raja Narasimha to replied saying that there are departments like cardiology, nephrology, orthopedics etc, where a major portion of Arogyasri funds were going to. He felt that if those departments were strengthened in the government medical colleges and the district hospitals, it will be more helpful to the patients, as the objective should be such that patients should receive treatment at the district level.
He also felt that establishing and strengthening de-addiction centers in the district hospitals will be very beneficial to the people.
Congress putting Hyderabad in AIMIM’s hands: BJP MLA
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Palvai Harish Babu alleged that the state government was conspiring to put the Hyderabad municipal corporation being planned in the hands of All India Majlis-E-Ittahadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) by reorganising the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) into three municipal corporations- Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri.
He termed the state government’s effort of reorganisation of GHMC into 3 corporations as “politically-motivated, totally unscientific, arbitrary and unconstitutional.”
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs KP Vivekanand Goud and T Prakash Goud also expressed the same concerns, stating that the state government hurriedly performed the reorganisation without consulting the people.
Prakash Goud expressed concern over Rajendranagar, the assembly constituency he represents, falling in three corporations after reorganisation. He wondered why Rajendranagar was forcefully being included in Hyderabad, when it falls geographically and functionally in Cyberabad.
“If reorganisation is done in this way, people living in Medchal will have to come all the way to Quthbullapur zonal office if they have any issue,” observed Vivekanand Goud.
The opposition members expressed concerns over Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts risk losing their identity due to the reorganisation.
Restore Hyderabad’s heritage: AIMIM MLA
Jaffar Hussain Meraj urged the state government to restore several heritage structures in the Old City, and requested allotment of Rs 200 crore to the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA).
He gave several examples of heritage structures and other projects in the Old City including but not limited to Charkaman, Gulzar House, completion of the Charminar Pedestrian Project, restoration of Quli Qutub Shah Stadium, development of Mir Alam Mandi, and many other projects.
He urged the state government to get the legal hurdles cleared for the regularisation of buildings under Building Regularisation Scheme (BRS), so that the state government could earn revenues through those registrations.
He also urged the state government to regularise notarised documents of properties.
“When Saada Bainamas can be regularised, why not notarised documents in Hyderabad,” he questioned, pointing out that the poorest of the poor live in southern part of Hyderabad, and regularising their notarised property documents will help them secure loans from the banks,” he appealed.
Most importantly, Hussain stressed the need for constructing drinking water reservoirs in Nampally, Karwan, Yakutpura, Chandrayangutta and Bahadurpura assembly constituencies, so that the drinking water issues in those areas could be addressed.
When will you pay retirement benefits: Harish Rao
In the wake of the Telangana High Court ordering the state government to disburse the retirement benefits to the retired government employees by April 9, Harish Rao sought to know by when the state government was going to follow the orders.
Also informing that a retired circle inspector from Warangal recently died by suicide recently because he didn’t get his retirement benefits which he had planned to pay as dowry for his daughter’s wedding.
Urging the state government to release 7 travel allowances and 3 surrendered leaves of police officials which were yet to be released, he wondered how they were released in Mulugu, Vikarabad and Khammam districts.
He wondered why the state government wasn’t implementing cashless treatment for police personnel, and claimed that hospitals were refusing treatment to them if they showed their health cards.
“Why are they not brought under the Employee Health Scheme,” he asked.
He said that the budget on police department was reduced by Rs 400 crore.
He also questioned why the Congress government, which had promised to implement the old pension scheme (OPS) if it came to power, failed to do so, and when it planned to implement the next pay revision commission.
He questioned why the Congress government was still using the services of dozens of retired bureaucrats, despite promising to end it before coming to power.
He also found fault with the frequent transfers of collectors and other officials within months, which he said, would affect the confidence and morale of the young bureaucrats, while also affecting the administration in the districts.
What happened to transparency, asks Harish
Also alleging that out of 19,604 government orders (GO) issued by the Congress government, 15,770 GOs were not placed in the public domain, Noting that only 3,290 GOs were placed on the government websites, Harish Rao said that 82 percent of GOs were kept in “secret.”
“What happened to your claim of Praja Palana,” he asked.
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