Farmers to get payments on time
Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday directed officials to make payments to farmers in time.
He said the government had so far procured 37 lakh tons of paddy worth `5,300 crore from farmers this year, of which `4,000 crore had been paid. He asked officials to pay the balance `1,000 crore immediately without waiting for funds from the Food Corporation of India.
Mr Rao said the state witnessed highest-ever paddy production this year and as a result huge quantities of paddy stocks were reaching the civil supplies department’s purchasing centres.
He said the state government was ready to spend any amount of money to purchase the paddy and asked the officials to arrange for the immediate payments to farmers, adding that though the state government was releasing funds, it was taking time for the money to reach farmers and this delay should be checked.
Mr Rao held a review meeting with civil supplies commissioner C.V. Anand and other officials at Pragati Bhavan regarding the procurement of paddy. The officials informed the CM that last year, around this time, the procurement was 9 lakh tones but this year 37 lakh tons of paddy had already been procured and another 2 lakh tons were expected to arrive at the centres.
In 2013-14, the maximum procurement was at 17 lakh tons in Telangana, which had increased by 2.5 times this year.
Mr Rao said with the monsoon setting in, the farmers needed money to start agricultural activities for the kharif crop and said the government would act as the farmers' guarantor. Officials have been instructed to review the situation regularly and make the payments promptly. Construction of the Road Under Bridge (RUB) from Moula Ali to Anand Bagh has been left incomplete. The shoddy work has become a nightmare for local residents. The bridge, which is supposed to connect ECIL, Nacharam, and Uppal to Anand Bagh, was meant to have been completed by 2014.
There is another bridge at Malkajgiri, which is supposed to connect Uttam Nagar to Secunderabad, which has also been left incomplete.
Residents say that the South Central Railway Department has completed its task of laying the blocks, but the GHMC is yet to restore the road. Suresh Kumar, the president of the Anand Bagh Welfare Association, says, “This Bridge is being made in order to avoid the railway crossing. It will serve as an alternate route to over 150 colonies in Malkajgiri. It will also be a link road for the MMTS to pass from Medchal to Lingampally. But it is in a pathetic condition. Despite the submissions of many complaints, there has been no response from the GHMC head regarding the construction works.”
Locals say that GHMC Commissioner Dr B. Janardan Reddy had visited the area three months ago and announced that funds would be released to ensure completion of the project.
When contacted, Mr J. Shankariah, Commissioner of the GHMC North Zone, said, “The project is pending due to land acquisition. There are houses which need to be demolished for road development. There are also registered lands for which high compensation amounts need to be paid; however, the project is being pursued.”
The two bridges have been under construction for over four years, but only half the work has been completed so far. The alternate route that has been provided to commuters has also been dug up for the past few months. The usable stretch of road is quite narrow, which makes it dangerous for commuters.