Rajya Sabha today adopted AP Re-orgnaisation (Amendment) Bill by voice vote approving merger of seven mandals of Khammam district into residual Andhra Pradesh.
Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill on Friday. After a three-hour debate on the bill moved by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Upper House adopted the bill which was opposed by TRS MPs.
The lone TRS member in Rajya Sabha K Keshav Rao said Polavaram project is against the country’s Constitution and his party opposed to it.
Former Union minister and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh supported the bill saying that he himself visited the project site a number of times. “Previous government had taken a decision to merge submersible villages of Khammam district with Andhra Pradesh. I support the bill”, Jairam said.
BJP MP Nand Kumar said Polavaram project should be completed. But justice should be done to affected people of the project. BJD MP K T Das said, “We are not against Polavaram project. But Odisha State’s interests should be protected. The Centre should take a final decision only after consulting four chief ministers of the States concerned.
Supporting the project, TDP member CM Ramesh advocated setting up of a Polavaram Develoment Authority. There will be no loss to Telangana. Polavaram project is important for the people of Andhra Pradesh, he added.
CPI member D. Raja said Polavaram is a national project. It is not related to any particular State. However, there was a need to change design of the project in view of concerned State’s apprehensions.
Congress MP R Anand Bhaskar said girijans of Bhadrachalam division are very much concerned as their villages would be submerged under the project and also Bhadrachalam would face submergence. The Union Home Minister should understand the concern and woes of four lakh people, who are going to be affected, he said.
Bihar MP K P Tyagi said, “The Centre should ensure no injustice was done to both States and we are not against according special status to Andhra Pradesh. CPM member Rajiv said A P Re-organisation (Amendment) bill is unconstitutional. The Centre should take care of the affected due to the project. Congress MP Renuka Choudhary also opposed the Bill saying that it was not a problem of two States. Some 205 villages would be submerged and the government should ensure justice was done to those affected.
In his reply to the debate, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said there was no violation of the Constitution. He said affected people should not have any concern over their rehabilitation as I have studied the entire project. The project design was prepared decades ago, the minister said and assured that the Centre would take care of relief and rehabilitation and interest of the affected would be protected at any cost. (NSS)
