City will be back in shape, vows Naidu

HYDERABAD: TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu kick-started his campaign for the GHMC polls from Qutubullapur division on Thursday and lashed out

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at the Congress party for its failure to address civic issues in the twin cities for the past six years.

Naidu, who travelled about 35 kms covering Jagadgirigutta, Gajularamaram, Shahpur, Suraram colony, Jeedimetla and Fatehnagar divisions, said that if the TDP was voted to power in the GHMC elections, it would take all steps to restore the city’s glory.

Alleging that the Congress party had collected money to give tickets to the candidates, he said a vote for the Congress would mean a vote for corruption. Amidst shouts and whistles from party activists, Naidu promised to see that basic problems like drinking water, sewerage, electricity, roads, health and housing were attended to. He assured them that if voted to power, the TDP would decentralise local administration so that local leaders do not have to run around offices of corporations for various permissions.

Referring to the Bholakpur deaths, poor conditions in government hospitals, and the spread of vector-borne diseases like chikungunya and dengue, he said these speak volumes about the government’s attitude towards its citizen.

On the goings on at Obulapuram mines, he said while the Centre constituted dozens of teams to probe into the Rs 5000-crore scandal involving former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, the state government was silent on the Rs 10,000-crore scam in OMC mines.

Meanwhile, 17 rebels were suspended from the party for failing to withdraw from the polls. The rebels are from Uppal, Chandrayangutta, Jubilee Hills, Sanatnagar, Serlingampalli, Kukatpally, Qutubullapur, Malkajgiri and Secunderabad.

Rice will cost Rs 100 if Cong wins: TD chief

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam president N Chandrababu Naidu has accused the State Government of failure to control the prices of essential commodities, maintain law and order, and address the problems of weaker sections.
Campaigning for his party candidates in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, Naidu addressed a string of meetings in the city today.
If the Congress was voted to power, life would become miserable for the citizens and rice would sell at Rs 100 a kilo, he warned.
Describing the Congress Government as the most inefficient and corrupt, Naidu said that during its tenure, law and order had taken a beating what with terrorists setting off bombs at Gokul Chat, Lumbini Park and Mecca Masjid. During the days of TDP government, Hyderabad used to be the most tranquil city with development taking place all over and no law and order problem ever raising its ugly head, he claimed.
Naidu was critical of the Congress for not being responsive to the needs of the weaker sections who were clamouring for house-sites. “For the Congress, which is not interested even to part with 60s sq yards for the poor for housing purpose, showed unusual interest in handing over thosuands of acres to those who happened to be in their good books,’’ he remarked.

Sonia should reply to Reddy's mining activities: Naidu

Hyderabad, Nov 19 (PTI) TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu today said Congress president Sonia Gandhi owed an answer to the people for turning a blind eye to the alleged illegal mining activities by Karnataka Tourism Minister Gali Janardhana Reddy's mining firm in the state and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

"The Karnataka unit of Congress is fighting the illegal activities of Gali while the AP unit has been supporting it. Even the Congress high command too seems to be supporting the mining mafia," Naidu told reporters.

"It is obvious that the late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's family is hand-in-glove with Gali. Sonia Gandhi owes an answer to the people on this because the mining mafia led by the Karnataka minister was looting precious national wealth," Chandrababu alleged.

"Gali has pumped tonnes of money into the Congress kitty in Andhra Pradesh.

TDP now targets Bramhani Steels

HYDERABAD: Continuing its attack against the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC), the Telugu Desam party (TDP) today made another allegation that the State Government had shown undue favour to Bramhani Steels Limited.
Speaking to reporters here today, TDP MLA A Revanth Reddy alleged that the State Government issued orders for supplying 2 tmcft of water by constructing an intake well in the backwaters of Mylavaram reservoir instead of the Gandikota reservoir. He pointed out that the government had asked the APGenco to carry water from Brahmasamudram three years ago for the Rayalaseema Thermal Power Plant (RTPP) because there was no water available in the Mylavaram reservoir. But the same government issued a GO in 2008 allocating 2 tmcft of water to Bramhani Steels, he alleged.
``If water was available in the Myalavaram reservoir, why did the government want Genco to carry water from the Brahmasamudram through pipelines, which costs the Genco around Rs 300 crore?’’ Reddy recalled that originally the government had wanted the Bramhani Steels to tap the Gandikota reservoir but the latter preferred the Mylavaram source. The government’s permission was nothing but favouring Bramhani Steels and subjecting Genco to a loss, the TDP leader alleged.
Revanth Reddy accused Chief Minister K Rosaiah of being blind to the irregularities and helping the `J’ gang increase their assets. ``If Bramhani Steels drew water from the Mylavaram reservoir around 1.10 lakh acres in Kadapa district would turn bone-dry,’’ he said and called for an immediate halt to the pipeline works of Bramhani Steels. He also demanded that the State government order a probe into the matter.
Meanwhile, leaders of Opposition parties have decided to stage a dharna near the Ambedkar statue here in protest against the `irregularities’ of OMC.

Telugu Desam demands judicial supervision, time

HYDERABAD: Welcoming Chief Minister K Rosaiah’s request to the Centre to order a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities of Obulapuram Mining Company, the Telugu Desam party (TDP) today demanded that the probe should be conducted under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court.
Speaking to reporters here today, TDP MLAs A Revanth Reddy and S Venugopalachary demanded that the government fix a time-limit for the probe into charges of illegal mining by the OMC.
CBI probes were ordered in Paritala Ravindra’s murder and on the alleged irregularities in the Outer Ring Road (ORR) project but no one knew the outcome of those enquiries, they pointed out. The TDP MLAs also demanded that the chief minister remove director of mines and geology VD Rajagopal and principal secretary (CCF) Sivasankar Reddy from their present posts.
Those officials who could help the CBI in the investigation should be appointed, they demanded.
The TDP leaders alleged that there was a `J’ gang behind the OMC irregularities.
They, however, did not specify the names. ``Those whose names begin with the letter `J’ are all behind the irregularities.’’ They demanded that the mining leases be kept in abeyance and all the properties be confiscated till CBI completed its probe. The CBI should also cover the evasion of royalty and sales tax and other issues, they demanded.

If junior NTR is a ‘baby crow’, Rahul is a ‘baby vulture’: TDP

Guntur: Taking exception at Congress leaders describing film actor Junior N T R, who is campaigning for the party, as an ‘infant crow’, the TDP has labeled Congress General secretary Rahul Gandhi as a ‘baby vulture’.

The Congress is scared of the huge crowds that Junior NTR gathers for his roadshows, hence they are belittling the actor, the senior TDP leader N Raja Kumari told reporters.

If Junior NTR, who is the grandson of TDP founder N T Rama Rao, is ‘infant crow’, Rahul Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y Rajasekhar Reddy's son Jagan are ‘baby vultures’, she said.

The leader also criticised Rama Rao's wife Laxmi Parvathi who is campaigning for the Congress in the northern coastal part of the state. "This will torment the soul of NTR who vowed to destroy the Congress," she said.