Hyderabad, May 22: The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has demanded an apology from Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy and steps to rectify the lapse in the wake of the government’s decision to allot to coastal districts the entire quantum of Rs. 353.95 crore received from the 13th Finance Commission for rural drinking water supply.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, TRS legislator T. Harish Rao and other leaders said the government did not propose to spend a single rupee out of the funds received for Telangana. An order to this effect was going to be released by the government in a day or two.
‘Vengeful action’
Mr. Rao said the action of the government appeared vengeful considering that the TRS had repeatedly highlighted the need of the people of Telangana for safe drinking water.
He claimed that the government had secured funds from the Centre focussing the backwardness of Telangana, but was planning to divert the amount to coastal districts after the money was received. Asking Telugu Desam president N. Chandrababu Naidu, CPI (M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu and Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan to respond to the latest gaffe by the government, Mr. Rao sought to know if the issue did not concern them.
He was also critical of Congress leaders from Telangana stating they were hankering for power when such an injustice was taking place. Panchayat Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy, who highlighted the separate Telangana issue when he was out of Cabinet, did not utter a word now.
–Agencies