Former minister and TDP senior leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said here on Monday that funds shortage, no proper planning and diverting the works to a different agency despite the strong warning from the Polavaram Project Authority are the blunders committed by the State Government which cost the project dearly.

Umamaheswar Rao told media persons at the party office here that the Polavaram Project Authority and the NITI Ayog gathered information from different wings and submitted a report to the department of Central Water Resources. Under the directions from the NITI Ayog, the report was submitted to the Polavaram Project Authority on the irrigation project works.

Under the guidance of the senior engineer, Prof KBVN Phanindra of the Hyderabad IIT, a five-member committee of experts from various wings prepared the 124-page report after personally visiting the project site for 10 times in August and September in 2020 and 2021. These experts stayed at the Polavaram project area for 53 days and made the ground visits to have the first hand information and also interacted with the project-displaced after which they prepared the report and submitted it to the Water Resources Department, Umamaheswara Rao said.

These experts clearly mentioned in their report that the Polavaram projects were completed at a fast pace from 2015 to 2019 without any fund crunch. They clearly pointed out in the report that water was supplied through the spillway in 2014, the TDP leader stated.

However, with the blunders committed by the Jagan Mohan Reddy Government and due to the inefficiency of the Chief Minister there is, in fact, a total destruction in Polavaram, he alleged and said that the change of the contractor has become a bane to Polavaram. This is clearly mentioned in the report, he added.

During the TDP regime, the 15 lakh cusecs of flood water was pumped through the spillway to Dhawaleswaram barrage and from there flown into the sea without causing any damage to the area nor to the project. When the experts committee has made it quite clear in its report that proper measures have to be taken to ensure that no damage is caused in the area with the advent of the monsoon and the construction of houses to the displaced be speeded-up, the State Government has not taken any such measures, he said.

Though the State Government has claimed that Rs 11,460 cr budgetary allocation has been made for the project, only Rs 2,742 cr, which is not even 25 per cent, is spent. Land acquisition and Relief and Rehabilitation were completely neglected, he said and added that the inefficient Chief Minister is behaving most irresponsibly.

Criticising the YCP Government’s policies, TDP former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has demanded Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy to make a clear statement to the people that Andhra Pradesh Capital City would be continued in Amaravati as before. The former Minister described Municipal Administration Minister Botsa Satyanarayana’s latest visit to the uncompleted multi-storeyed buildings in Amaravati as another high drama started by the ruling party in the wake of reverses in the courts. The people as well as local farmers would not trust these fake demonstrations of the Government in the form of visits by Ministers and Officials.

The TDP leader asked whether Botcha Satyanarayana was visiting now to mislead the local people into believing that the Government has softened its plans for the Capital city. In that case, there was no need for the YCP to bring up the controversial CRDA Repeal and 3 Capitals Bills in the just-concluded budget session. The Chief Minister should explain why his party Ministers and members behaved indecently and created ruckus in the Council for the passage of these Bills.

Mr. Devineni Uma asserted that for the last 188 days, the Capital city farmers were agitating in the 29 villages even as 66 farmers died in the process with broken hearts. The Chief Minister should come out and answer to these farmers why they were being subjected to this agony and harassment. Even the lease amounts were not being given to the farmers unless they approached the court. It is high time Jagan Reddy makes a public statement in favour of continuing Amaravati as the Capital City.

Referring to alleged Rs 307 cr scam in 108 ambulances, Mr. Devineni Uma said the Government has arbitrarily given the maintenance contract for 1,060 ambulances without inviting tenders. CM Jagan brought in a new corruption culture by issuing the GO 111 which ordered for ‘identifying and engaging’ a company to maintain the ambulances. The monthly expenditure per ambulance was arbitrarily increased from Rs. 1.31 lakh to Rs. 1.78 lakh for new ambulances and from Rs. 1.31 lakh to Rs. 2.21 lakh for old ambulances.

The TDP leader strongly objected to the police arriving to keep a watch at their party Official Spokesperson K. Pattabhiram’s residence just because he exposed the multi-crore 108 scam. It was highly objectionable that the senior police officers were defending this action saying that their force went there as part of law and order maintenance. Police watch was also being kept at former MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao’s residence. Top TDP leaders were being targetted. Jagan Reddy is running this Government like a Police Rajyam or Jungle Raj.

TDP former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has said Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy would have to take all the responsibility for the health risks being posed to TDP former Minister and TDLP Deputy Leader K. Atchannaidu. He blamed the ACB officials for ‘making’ Atchannaidu to travel 500 kms for 20 hours non-stop despite knowing the fact that he underwent surgery for fissures very recently. Now, the doctors are saying because of the strain of travel and stress, Atchannaidu may need another surgery.

The TDP leader accused CM Jagan Reddy of perpetrating the factionist, anarchic Raja Reddy Constitution ever since he came to power making countless false promises to the voters. He said over 50 policemen surrounded and blocked his office in order to stop him from calling on the TDLP Deputy Leader when he was in hospital. This was nothing but denial of the right to the freedom of expression and total suppression of the voice of Opposition.

Mr. Devineni Uma deplored that the entire police machinery became helpless in the State as the Sakshi media staff have occupied every single floor in the DGP building and were literally passing orders to harass the Opposition in a systematic way. Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, who has become YCP Number 2 leader recently, was running the Home Ministry and the State Police but not Mekathoti Sucharita. Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy was running Finance and Irrigation Ministries as well, which indicated the level of vice-like grip CM Jagan Reddy has on the party and the government. All the Ministers and MLAs are reduced to being dummies and pushovers.

The TDP leader demanded Jagan Reddy to explain why his Government could not provide water supply in the Krishna delta despite there were five to six floods in the river last one year. Negligence and ignorance of YCP caused 800 TMC water flow wastefully. Moreover, YCP MLAs and leaders were making lots of easy money by laying roads in the river bed between Nandigama and Pedakurapadu to plunder lots of sand illegally. Over 70 lakh tonnes of sand was involved in the mafia while 13 lakh tonnes were already taken away by YCP leaders.

Former Minister and TDP leader Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has said the YCP government has given Velogonda irrigation project works to a company which has no prior experience working with machines but can do only borewells. He demanded Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy to explain whether his government was interested in bringing an integrated irrigation policy in order to successfully complete the irrigation projects.

The TDP leader said if the ruling party was greedy after the commissions even in major projects, these works cannot be completed and there would be no clarity. Veligonda was aimed at giving drinking water to 15 lakh people and also provide irrigation to 3.36 lakh acres in Prakasam district, 27,200 acres in Kadapa and 84,000 in Nellore.

Mr Devineni Uma said that advanced machinery and latest technology was used during the TDP rule but now substandard works were going on. Out of political considerations, the greedy YCP leadership has stopped many projects that were started in previous regime. The re-tendering misrule has led to the stoppage of even the Polavaram project.

The TDP leader strongly objected to the Government giving Veligonda tunnel works to Kadapa native Lanka Reddy just because he belonged to the CM home district. These works were given to him on nomination basis in the name of re-tendering. These reverse policies and irrational activities have created mistrust among the outsiders and genuine companies about the state.

TDP former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has accused the ruling YSR Congress Party leadership of getting involved in a bigger conspiracy to grab 1,100 acres lands starting from Simhachalam hills and extending to several nearby villages in Visakhapatnam port city.

He asked the Government to explain why it had given notices to the residents of villages in the vicinity of LG Polymers to vacate their houses instead of providing a much-needed relief and rehabilitation to them in this time of gas tragedy.

Umamaheswara Rao said that doubts were arising as there were no reports on whether logbook and CCTV footage was available on the gas tragedy in the factory. Moreover, YSRCP MP Vijayasai Reddy who has been acting as overall incharge of North Coastal Andhra was not visiting Visakhapatnam ever since the mishap. The MP should clarify whether he had collected any amount from the company for his Pragathi Bharati Trust.

The TDP leader also accused the Jaganmohan Reddy Government of giving permission to LG Polymers on a war-footing and in violation of national lockdown only for the sake of augmenting plastic bottles supply for sale of liquor in the state. Incidentally, the LG Polymers was supposed to supply raw material to polymers companies like Nandini, SPY and Bharati. Out of vested interests alone, the AP Government has committed criminal violations leading to the disaster which claimed 12 human lives besides injuring hundreds of others.

It is well known how Jagan Government suspends and targets whoever revolts against lack of proper protection kits and preventive measures. Now, the Government is targetting journalists as well. Amidst this, former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao has accused the Jaganmohan Reddy Government of atrociously targeting and punishing doctors, Government employees and journalists for exposing the ruling party’s negligence in containment of Coronavirus epidemic in Andhra Pradesh.

Recalling instances of suspensions of employees for questioning on preventive measures, he condemned the YSRCP Government’s latest vicious efforts to arrest TV 5 journalist Murthy in a latest vindictive action. Tthe senior journalist was being targetted just for exposing the Government’s indifferent attitude and cover-up activities with regard to COVID spendings. The virus situation turned from bad to worse in the state, as Kurnool became the worst hit reporting another 43 infected cases today. The Government should tell public number of persons isolated at quarantine centres and the facilities being provided to them.

The former Minister demanded that the CM explain to public why Dr Sudhakar was suspended just because he asked for protective kits for the safety of frontline health workers. Nagari municipal commissioner was suspended along similar grounds. A lady doctor in Ongole was threatened for her statements on lack of protection kits.

Mr. Uma said that the Government was not in a position to tell how much it had spent on procurement of personal protection equipment (PPEs) and whether all doctors and nurses were given medical grade masks. Very unfortunately, the YSRCP leaders were not doing anything to rescue farmers of agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and sericulture. Farmers were committing suicides over loss of total crops because of Coronavirus impact but the CM was not taking any action.

The TDP has stepped up its attack on the YSRCP after PM Modi announced lockdown-2 in the country. TDP former Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao expressed concern over the gaping loopholes in the coordination between the YSRCP government at the state level and the officials and ruling party leaders in the district and mandal levels to effectively fight against Coronavirus epidemic.

Mr. Uma accused the government of not taking effective steps to prevent the deadly community transmission which is threatening to cause a disaster in the state.

Mr. Uma said that the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and senior officials are bent upon suppressing all details relating to virus spread which is leading to chaos and confusion all over. A Nellore doctor died of infection in Chennai and was cremated there itself with his family members also hospitalised following infection in Nellore town itself. For this, the YSRCP government should be held responsible for neglecting the disease from the beginning.

Mr. Uma asked why the officials are not disclosing details of reports of over 300 persons whose samples were taken four to five days ago. He demanded that the Union Health Ministry, Home Ministry, Disaster Management department and WHO regional director in Delhi should intervene and instruct the AP officials to take stern measures to prevent community transmission.

TDP leaders use every opportunity to blame YCP and Jana Sena for having an alleged secret deal with BJP. AP Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao strongly criticised YCP and other opposition parties for wrongfully blaming CM Chandrababu Naidu over TDP tie-up with Congress. The Minister asserted that Naidu was making his best efforts to protect self-respect of Telugu people at the national at a time when PM Modi is trying to hurt Telugu pride.

Devineni wondered as to how opposition leaders could attack Naidu instead of speaking favourably for the cause of ensuring a better deal to AP. Everybody knows the BJP government at Centre is giving a raw deal to AP by not releasing funds and yet YCP and Jana Sena leaders are targetting TDP.

The Minister challenged Jaganmohan Reddy and Pawan Kalyan to criticise Modi which would not be possible as there is a secret deal between them all.