Chief Minister-designate of Telangana K Chandrashekar Rao has cautioned the Centre against haste in issuing an Ordinance on the controversial mega project Polavaram that involves changing the borders between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Rao, who was in Delhi to attend swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, told the media on Tuesday that the borders between the two States could be changed only after the issue will be discussed in both the State Assemblies.
“If border has to be changed, under the Article 3 of the Constitution, the Centre should discuss the issue with both the States,” he said.
As part of the package announced for Seemandhra, the UPA Government had agreed to transfer eight mandals in Khammam distrtict, which will be submerged by the Polavaram project. “When Bhadrachalam will be in Telangana, how can its eight mandals be transferred to Andhra Pradesh,” he asked.
“I am speaking on this issue as we have come to know that Union Home Ministry is going to issue an Ordinance,” KCR said.
Making it clear that he is not against Polavaram project, KCR said that the project should be taken up after changing its design. “Experts have warned that the area where Polavaram project is being built is prone to quake. Irrigation experts from Seemandhra are also opposing the design,” he said. He wanted the dam height to be reduced and design to be changed.
He promised full cooperation in constructing the project if his demands were met.
After the issue of division of government employees on the basis of nativity between the two states, Polavaram project has emerged as the second bone of contention.
KCR’s Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu, who was also in New Delhi and attended the swearing in ceremony last evening, complained that the manner in which Andhra Pradesh was divided and employees, assets and liabilities were being distributed was unjust.
He said the fact that Seemandhra was not given any share in the revenue of Hyderabad but liabilities were divided on the basis of population shows that the UPA dispensation had indulged in mischief in the process o division.
Naidu said that the TDP’s minister in Union Cabinet Ashok Gajapati Raju will take up the issue of suitable compensation to Seemandhra in today’s cabinet meeting.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Meanwhile the fact that Andhra Pradesh was given only tow cabinet berths in the Modi team has come as a big disappointment to the state. Both the cabinet ministers M Venkaiah Naidu of the BJP and Ashok Gajapati Rau of Telugu Desam were from coastal Andhra and Telangana did not get any representation.
It came as big disappointment especially to the BJP leaders from Telangana region, particularly, Bandaru Dattatreya, the lone MP of the party from the region. Dattatreya who had served as a minister of state in Vajpaee cabinet was confident of making it to the Modi cabinet.
Hiding his disappointment, Dattatreye said, “I am sure that the Prime Minister will soon expand his cabinet and give proper representation to Telangana”.
Even TDP leaders were also unhappy with getting only one berth in the cabinet. TDP, with 18 seats in lok Sabha is the third biggest party in the NDA.