YSRC staged a walk-out of the Assembly protesting the non-release of funds to the Zilla Parishats, especially, to Anantapur Zilla Parishat, meant for the maintenance of drinking water schemes despite the acute problem. The House had taken up the issue of looming drought during the question-hour which led to the heated debate.
Leader of opposition YS Jaganmohan Reddy, taking strong objection to the casual approach of the government in dealing with the drought situation and drinking water problem, alleged that government was forcing the ZPs suffer from paucity of funds. He alleged that the ZPs were not in a position to pay salaries to the employees of RWS schemes, and cited the Pulivendula canal as example, where, he said, the employees had been denied salaries for six months. Protesting the approach he announced in the House that the party was staging a walk-out.
Earlier MLAs G Srinkanth Reddy, Visweswar Reddy said the inordinate delay in the announcement of drought mandals in the state was responsible for inadequate relief from the centre. While the states like Chhattisgarh had announced the drought in the state in July itself, the state government waited till November. He said the visiting central team members themselves revealed that they were not in receipt of drought report from the state government.
Raising non-release of funds to Anantapur Zilla Parishat Visweswar Reddy said due to huge back log of funds, the ZP was not able to the take up repairs of rural water supply schemes. ” In the past two years, an amount of about Rs 150 crore is pending with the government. Narrating the problems being faced by the Zilla Parishat, the ZP chairman, who belongs to TDP, wrote to all MLAs requesting us to exert pressure on the state government to get the balance amount released in view of the acute drinking water problems in this summer,” Visweswar Reddy, MLA from Uravakonda, Anantapur district, said. Refuting the charge of YSRC members, chief whip Kalava Srinivasulu( Radurgam, Anantapur district) said the problem had arisen out the depletion of ground water table and the state government could not be faulted.
Later, Opposition Leader Jagan reminded how centre had released a drought relief of just Rs 610 crore against state’s request for Rs 2340 crore. He found fault with the state for announcing the drought after the floods ,which he said had militated against the very purpose of declaration of drought. He ridiculed the state government for taking claim for the rise in the ground water table in some districts hiding the fact that untimely flood were responsible for the phenomenon. Due to failure of the government in taking up precautionary measures, the people of Vizianagaram, East Godavari and Prakasam were also facing acute water problem, he said and led the party to stage a walk-out of the House.
