YSR wants Sonia to take decision on Telangana

Hyderabad, Jan 6: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy last night wanted Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to take an early decision on the Telangana issue by constituting the second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) within a month.

A broad consensus was emerged within the party at the two-day brain-storming session 'Medha Madanam' that the party should take an early decision by forming the second SRC with a mandate to come out with its recommendation within a specified time frame, he said.

Any delay in taking a decision would only affect the ruling party than the opposition which was after politicising the issue, he opined.

Even as the Chief Minister told party workers that the government's decision to expand the capacity of the Pothireddypadu head regulator to take flood waters to Rayalaseema would not affect the interests of other regions, the dissident Congress leader P Janardhana Reddy interrupted the speech for a while before the party leadership promised to hold a meeting comprising experts to remove his 'misapprehensions'.

Referring to the health warning on beedi packets, the Chief Minister assured the people that the ruling Congress was committed to ensure justice for the beedi workers by suitably amending the health warning.

Allying the fears of the dissidents, Dr Reddy said drinking water would be augumented to Hyderabad city by tapping the huge quantity of Godavari waters going waste into the sea.

''Let us bury the hatchet. We shall work together to deteriorate the sufferings of the people,'' he appealed to Mr Janardhan Reddy.

While ensuring assured water to the Krishna delta region and the Nagarjunasagar command areas, the government would take surplus Krishna waters to eight drought-prone districts in Rayalaseema, Telangana and Coastal Andhra, he said.

The government was according top priority to irrigation projects in the Telangana region without neglecting the projects in other regions, he said, adding that additonal 95 lakh acres would be brought under irrigation through the irrigation initiative, 60 to 70 per cent of them in the Telangana region.

Referring to the stir against the shifting of the proposed Indian Institute of Technology at Basara in Adilabad district to Medak district, he said the same was shifted for want of infrastructural facilities, including an international airport.

A pilot Rs 40 crore health insurance scheme would be launched in the districts of Srikakulam, Mahboonagar and Anantapur from January 14 to meet expenses towards major surgeries for the poor.

The Congress government would ensure bank linkages to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore next fiscal to women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Indira Kranthi Scheme.

UNI