The Cabinet meeting scheduled on Saturday has been postponed with the Election Commission of India (ECI) not responding to the permission sought by Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and officers waited till the evening expecting the ECI to respond but that did not come forcing the government to postpone the meeting. Waiting till 7 p.m., the Chief Minister and the ministers left the Secretariat later.
The government will now wait till Monday for permission to conduct the meeting again, according to the Chief Minister. If the permission doesn’t come he would lead a delegation of ministers to meet the Chief Election Commissioner in New Delhi to seek permission.
The government had prepared the agenda with a focus on farm loan waiver, paddy procurement, action plan for the ensuing Kharif season and other important issues related to farmers. The Chief Minister had also planned a discussion on the State Formation Day celebrations on June 2, pending bifurcation-related issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under the A.P. Reorganization Act 2014 as the State completes 10 years of its creation.
The Election Commission apparently was not keen on the permission as the Graduate MLC elections for the Warangal-Nalgonda-Khammam constituency to be held on May 27.
NDSA report
While waiting for permission, the Chief Minister discussed with Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy the recommendations of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the Kaleshwaram project. Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Tummala Nageshwara Rao, Jupally Krishna Rao, Konda Surekha and advisor Vem Narender Reddy were also present.
The NDSA presented its recommendations on the piers of the Medigadda Barrage caving in and leakages in the Sundilla Barrage and the repairs to be taken up. The NDSA report revealed that the cracks were noticed in 2019 itself but no action was taken.
The Cabinet was supposed to discuss the issue since the monsoon season arrives next month and whether repairs could be taken up or such for other alternatives. The Chief Minister indicated that if the Cabinet meeting doesn’t take place the ministers may have to visit the barrages and pump houses.
