The Opposition Congress has staged a walkout from the Assembly, protesting that the Government has not committed anything on extending immediate assistance to flood-affected families including loss/damage to crops, property (houses and others) and loss of human and domestic animal life.
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader M. Bhatti Vikramarka registered protest at the fag end of the short discussion on “consequences of excessive rainfall in the State and measures being taken by the Government” that went on for over four hours in the Assembly on Friday. However, Minister for Legislative Affairs V. Prashanth Reddy said the Congress had staged protest for the sake of it after participating in the debate and speaking at length.
The debate was marked by intermittent wordy duels between the treasury benches and the Opposition Congress although several members from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), Congress, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congress members D. Sridhar Babu, Mr. Vikramarka, D. Anasuya alias Seethakka requested the Chair to come to their rescue repeatedly as they were interrupted by Ministers with clarifications and to “set the records straight/right”.
Mr. Sridhar Babu said the ₹500-crore relief announced by the Chief Minister wound not be sufficient even for crop loss compensation at ₹10,000 per acre as loss on 15 lakh acres due to washing away, sand/mud-silting, and damage beyond chances of revival due to inundation would require at least ₹1,500 crore. Minister for IT and Industries K.T. Rama Rao faulted the Congress members for citing the extent of crop loss when the enumeration/assessment of crop loss was yet to be completed.
There were exchanges between the treasury benches and the Opposition on free power supply to farming when Mr. Rama Rao said Congress leaders were getting novel ideas by visiting the US, where they said that even 3-hour supply was enough as most of farmers in Telangana were either small or marginal. As Mr. Vikramarka too joined the issue, Minister for Finance and Health T. Harish Rao said people would support the Congress if they want 3-hour supply to farming and they would back BRS in case they prefer uninterrupted free power to agriculture.
Akbaruddin Owaisi of MIM suggested that the Government evolve a robust flood management policy and better flood forecasting system for the State as it had become a phenomenon to face floods frequently as a fallout of global warming and climate change.
In his reply, Mr. Prashanth Reddy said there were 305 tank breaches while 463 tanks witnessed erosion of bunds due to overflowing of floodwater as unprecedented rainfall was recorded in a matter of a few hours. He explained, with statistics, how the Centre had been discriminating Telangana in release of NDRF funds.
