Accusing the previous governments for neglecting to expand green cover in combined State which resulted in perennial drought situation, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today launched a scathing attack on the Opposition for leveling allegations of corruption in the Telanganaku Haritha Haram program.
At a review meeting at Camp office here on Monday, the Chief Minister ridiculed the Opposition parties saying they are not aware of budgetary allocations to the green drive and attributing corruption charges. Though the previous governments did not even plant one crore saplings are getting envious as the TRS Government has taken up the green drive as a people’s movement to expand the green cover to 33 per cent.
The Chief Minister also took serious exception to the Opposition for its baseless allegations of Rs 1,000 crore corruption in the green drive. The Congress government, which ruled the State for 10 years should stop mudslinging and shun thinking that the new dispensation in Telangana will replicate their failure story in the green drive and other schemes of welfare and development in the State. KCR asked the officials and leaders at all levels to coordinate for the success of the green drive to plant 46 crore saplings across the State. Any dereliction and negligence will be considered seriously and necessary action will be initiated against them as the government is getting daily reports on their participation, he warned.
The Chief Minister also said the result of the Haritha Haram will be known in future which can be attributed to the efforts made for its success. Attributing the drought situation to the negligence of the previous governments, KCR said employment opportunities will be provided to forest smugglers to stop illegal activity and steps in this regard have already been taken up at Adilabad, Karimnagar districts on a pilot basis. “As the illegal activity of felling trees was on reducing the forest cover in the State, we are now trying to increase it to adequate level by simultaneously encouraging social forestry”, he added. The government has engaged officials to spy on those who were mot participating at all levels, he said. Stern action will be taken if sarpanches, Tahsildars, MPDOs, leaders and officials at villages and towns and other leaders and the officials at districts failed to monitor the saplings to survive. (NSS)