Macherla (Guntur dist), May 2: Castigating Chandrababu Naidu for his inefficient and inept handling of the drought situation in state and his misplaced priorities, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said that TDP government would pay a heavy price for ignoring the interests of farmers and other sections of people who are bearing the brunt of his anti-people policies.
‘The State did not release a single rupee towards input subsidy and did not even hold review meetings to draw an action plan to meet the imminent drought situation and mitigate it by providing drinking water and employing farm hands in the Central scheme of NREGS and this government has no right to rule,’ the leader of opposition said during the dharna in protest against the failure of TDP government in mitigating severe drought in the State.
The party has given a call to hold dharnas at all the mandal headquarters to highlight the failure of Chandrababu Naidu government in tackling the drought which is sweeping across the state.
‘Though the crops have dried up, people are facing acute drinking water shortage, livestock has been facing severe fodder and water crisis and people are not getting work and are migrating to other places for livelihood, Chandrababu Naidu government is indifferent and has been misusing the Central NREGA scheme and is not employing 60 % of the workforce as per the guidelines and is using machine component more.
Even with the funds running in to Rs 4,500 crores the state has diverted Rs 1,000 crore for laying cement roads and Rs 2,500 crores towards Neeru Chettu programme while the farmhands are not given their due share of employment.
It was only during YSR term that 97.3 % of the funds were used for employing workforce instead of machines, he said.
Though Nagarjuna sagar is at close proximity, this town is facing severe drinking water crisis. While YSR has released Rs 17 crores for the drinking water to this town, Chandrababu Naidu has been very indifferent. Various schemes were launched by YSR to roll a green carpet in the area but the TDP government has not been taking them up even some of them are near completion.
Nagarjunasagar lacks water as it has to come from Srisailam as the Krishna waters have to flow from the upper riparian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
From Mahbubnagar Telangana government has been drawing 150 TMC of water for the Palamuru – Ranga Reddy lift scheme and Chandrababu Naidu has never raised his voice of protest as he is scared of KCR after the exposure in the cash for vote case, he said.
In his home state while people are suffering with acute water shortage and drought conditions, Chandrababu Naidu has been on a MLA-buying spree spending huge amounts.
When it comes to input subsidy, the State did not sanction even a single rupee and has left the farmers in distress. Though Rs 1,000 crores were sanctioned, the state did not release a single rupee and farmers were left high and dry.
Before elections, Chandrababu Naidu has promised that he would pay the input subsidy for the year 2013-14 but did not pay the amount of Rs 1,648 cores. In the next year, 2014-15 the figure was pegged at Rs 1,500 crores and in the Collectors Conference it was scaled down to Rs 1, 000 cores and the cabinet has further cut it down to Rs 692 crores and still some amount is in arrears and is to be paid. For 2015-16 the state has written a letter claiming a loss of Rs 1,000 crores due to drought and cyclones but nothing is forthcoming and the State has never been sincere in follow up as it has different parameters, he said.
When there are enough indicators of drought, the State should convene a meeting of district collectors in the months of February and March and draw an action plan about repair works and storage camps but the TDP government has held just one review meeting and did not bother to hold any meeting nor chalk out a plan to mitigate drought and provide succour to the poor.
‘We are holding dharnas across the state in protest against the indifference of the state government in tackling the drought and we shall join hands to teach this government a lesson, ‘he said.
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