a day ago
Revanth to tap Amit Shah for central funds for city projects
Hyderabad: Continuing his tirade against Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday wondered what he (Kishan Reddy) had achieved for Hyderabad and what was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's contribution for the city's development.
A day ahead of Union Minister Amit Shah's visit to Hyderabad on Sunday, the Chief Minister said that the state government would urge Shah to give his nod for Metro expansion and support RRR (Regional Ring Road) and Musi Riverfront projects.
Speaking after inaugurating the 1.2-km PJR flyover at Gachibowli that was constructed at a cost of Rs 182.72 crore, Revanth Reddy regretted that none of the eight BJP MPs from Telangana had secured central funds for various developmental projects taken up in the state.
'Kishan Reddy should tell us if he has brought anything from Modi? Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, both ruled by Opposition parties, were given Metro. Andhra Pradesh has also benefitted. Bullet train was given to Gujarat at a cost of Rs two lakh crore. The central government's funds were give Sabarmati Riverfront in Gujarat, Yamuna Riverfront in Delhi and Ganga Riverfront in Uttar Pradesh. But why this step-motherly attitude towards our Musi Riverfront, Metro Rail and RRR projects?' he scorned.
He wanted to know if the BJP felt that Telangana's demands were not legitimate or if there were any defects in the reports and proposals presented by the state government. Over the issue of Kancha Gachibowli lands, the Chief Minister reiterated that the state government was committed to development and would continue the legal fight till it reached its logical end.
'We are taking steps forward by dividing Telangana into Core Urban Region, Semi Urban Region, Rural Telangana. Delhi is in an uninhabitable condition due to pollution. Chennai is facing flood problems, while Bangalore is struggling with traffic woes. We should learn lessons from Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Don't forgive those who obstruct government programmes under the guise of politics. We tried to bring IT companies to Gachibowli and provide employment to lakhs of people, but they obstructed our plans. We will fight a legal battle over Gachibowli lands and provide employment to millions,' he reiterated. Reminding the services of Congress leader P Janardhan Reddy, Chief Minister directed officials to undertake a feasibility study for a statue near Gachibowli. 'Similar to Mammohan Singh's upcoming statue in the Financial District, we will have one of PJR,' he said. On the proposed delimitation, Revanth Reddy said that constituencies like Serilingampally may be divided into four segments. He urged the local MLA Arikepudi Gandhi to ensure Congress wins in all these constituencies, just like the feat achieved by PJR during whose time Khairatabad was divided into several constituencies and despite all that Congress achieved good results across segments. Highlighting the issue of pollution, the Chief Minister said that the government was encouraging Electric Vehicles (EV) in the city by way of tax exemptions. Citing the example of N-Convention Centre, he said that actor Nagarjuna had voluntarily given up two acres of land, while contributing for the development of the city. He said that this was possible only because of HYDRAA.
He also said that Bathukamma Kunta's encroachment was removed after several decades and this time Bathukamma could be celebrated on that very restored land.
