Centre hits out at TS low test policy
Says TS has higher Covid-19 positivity rate
The Centre has told the Telangana state government that “lack of proactive testing” will not help the state contain the
Covid-19 pandemic. Union health secretary Preeti Sudan, in a letter addressed to Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, pointed out that the state had a higher positivity rate — the ratio of positive diagnosis to the number of tests conducted — than the national average.
“We need to chase the virus rather than the virus chase us,” Ms Sudan said and urged the Chief Secretary to review the situation and enhance testing. Telangana state accounted for just 1.5 per cent, or 20,754, of the more than 14 lakh RT-PCR (realtime polymerase chain reaction) tests carried out nationwide, she said.
Ms Sudan noted that the number of samples tested in TS was far behind Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, which have reported high numbers of Covid19 cases. “The total number of cases in Telangana as on May 17 was 1,551, with 34 deaths,” she said.
A health ministry official said while Andhra Pradesh conducted 9,000
tests per day on average, Telangana state’s total is just over 200.
Ms Sudan noted, “Telangana’s tally of tests per million population was far lower than that of other states, as well as the national average, between April 30 and May 6. While the all-India testing average was 1,025 per million population, the figure for Telangana was only 546.”
The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has sought from Telangana government on a priority basis detailed reports of various irrigation projects taken up by it on Krishna River.
KRMB had written a letter to Telangana’s Principal Secretary (Irrigation) following a complaint by his AP counterpart to the board alleging that the TS government is going ahead with execution of irrigation projects including Palamuru-Rangareddy,
Dindi, Bhaktha Ramadas Lift Irrigation Schemes Water Grid Project taken up under Mission Bhagiratha, and Thummilla Lift Irrigation Scheme. The AP government complained to the board that Telangana is going ahead with execution of new projects without them being appraised by KRMB, CWC or the Apex Council. It said these adversely affect projects already existing and ongoing with prior sanctions got by the erstwhile AP state to meet drinking water needs of chronically and critically droughtprone areas of
Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts of AP.
The neighbouring government further stated that Telangana has also enhanced the scope of three ongoing projects, including Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu Lift Irrigation Schemes and Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) started by erstwhile AP state. The board has asked Telangana government to refer KRMB’s latest reminder Letter No. 2/04/2018/KRMB/2394-96 dated 16.10.2019, wherein the board asked government of Telangana to furnish DPRs/details of the projects listed therein and those taken up. The board reminded the Telangana government that it has not submitted the same till date.
KRMB stated that under section 85(8)(d) of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, functions of the board include “making an appraisal of any proposal for construction of new projects on Godavari or Krishna rivers and giving technical clearance, after satisfying that such projects do not negatively impact the availability of water as per the awards of the tribunals constituted under the inter-stale River Water Disputes Act, 1956, for projects already completed or taken up before the appointed day.”
The board reminded that as per para-7 of the Seventh Schedule of the said Act, “No new projects based on water resources arrived at based on appropriate dependability criteria on Godavari or Krishna rivers can be taken up by the state of Telangana or state of Andhra Pradesh without obtaining sanction from the Apex Council on River Water Resources. All such proposals shall be first appraised and technically cleared by the respective board before sanction by the said Apex Council.”