NAVEENA GHANATE
Hyderabad
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that if the Dharani Portal is scrapped brokers will start troubling the public and bribes would have to be paid to officials. He reminded the people that the Congress is saying that it will scrap the Dharani Portal if it comes to power.
“After fighting for 15 years, we achieved Telangana state. Telangana is implementing welfare programmes which are not available anywhere in India. Now the Congress is saying that it will scrap Dharani. If Dharani goes, brokers will start troubling you. Bribes would have to be given to officials,” KCR said.
“If there is no Dharani, Rythu Bandhu funds cannot be given. If Dharani is gone it will take six months to issue land title deeds. People will have to move around offices for months to get pattas. We faced a lot of trouble. The government is now providing free electricity to farmers,” he said.
KCR kicked off the distribution of Podu land title deeds at Asifabad and announced that the government will withdraw cases registered against tribal communities during their fight for rights over the forest lands they have been cultivating as distributing ‘podu’ land title deeds without scrapping the cases have no meaning.
He said that a high-level bridge will be constructed on the Wardha River between Gundaipet and Nandiwardhan in Asifabad and that government has sanctioned Rs 75 crore for that.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao launched the podu land patta distribution programme at a big gathering of tribals in the district. Nearly 1.5 lakh tribals in Telangana’s 26 districts will be granted rights to farm four lakh acres of Podu land in forest areas.
KCR announced that the pattas are being given in the name of women. Officials have been asked to withdraw cases booked against tribals on podu land ownership issues.
He said that Telangana is now number one in per capita income. “Rythu Bhima is providing Rs 5 lakh to the families of the farmers who die suddenly. Earlier, there was no road in Asifabad. Now the road network has improved. The people of Maharashtra on Telangana border want to join Telangana. Telangana has made great progress after it became a state. We are working tirelessly for the poor, but many people do not understand all this and say that we should show our strength in the next elections,” he said.
KCR handed over pattas to 12 beneficiaries. During the distribution of pattas, KCR showed the passbooks to a beneficiary and asked whether she knew that it was a patta. With a smile, she replied, “Yes, I know that this is the land patta and its details.” KCR asked again, “Do you know that it is in your name?” She said yes and thanked the CM.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the government is providing free electricity to farmers across the state and ordered officials to supply 3-phase power to tribal lands too.
Under the Giri Vikasam programme, bore wells will be drilled on podu lands and power supply will be given. Officials deserve a big applause for working hard and for competing with each other to implement development programmes, he said.
Government employees participated in Sakala Janula Samme during the Telangana struggle and the state is now number one due to the sacrifices and hard work of all employees, he said.
The CM said that a medical college has been sanctioned for Asifabad and described it as the success of the people and the commitment of the authorities.
“For the last 35 years, people struggled for power. During Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy’s government in United AP, there was no electricity for four days and everyone knows that.
Today, the Telangana government is supplying electricity to everyone. We will achieve more miracles in the coming days,” KCR said.
The CM said that he is saluting the sarpanchs as they play a vital role in the development of villages.
