TN Budget will push development behind: Jaya

Chennai, July 31 (UNI) Comparing the State Budget presented by the DMK Government to a ''quagmire,'' Leader of the Opposition J Jayalalithaa today said it would spell doom to the state's economy and push its overall development several years behind.

Participating in the debate on the 2006-07 Budget, she said the DMK's election manifesto, which was described as a hero after the party formed the government, had now become a villain as its promises could not be fulfilled.

Criticising the DMK's promise of providing two acre land each to landless farmers, she said the government had only 3.5 lakh acre of wasteland and there was no availability of 50 lakh acre of land as claimed by the DMK.

The remaining 46.5 lakh acre were patta lands owned by small and marginal farmers, she claimed.

''How could the government distribute two acre of land each to landless farmers when only 3.5 lakh acre are available with it?'' she asked.

When this was pointed out by her in the House, the DMK Government changed its stand and stated that the private lands, on the owners request, would be developed as cultivable land and be given back to them, she said.

If a farmer had four acre of land, would the government give him back only two acre or the entire land after developing them, she asked.

Intervening, Finance Minister K Anbazhagan said the government would not take the lands and return them entirely to the owners after making them cultivable.

Ms Jayalalithaa said, for political reasons the Government dropped the mono rail project announced by her previous regime and instead announced Metro Rail project, which was unsuitable for Chennai city.

When compared to Metro Rail project, Mono Rail was cost effective and could be completed in a short time span, she said. Metro rail was also not safe for Chennai as the city came under the seismic belt, she added.

While the Metro Rail project had to be funded entirely by the Government, the Mono Rail could be implemented by private agencies on BOT basis, she added.

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