CM: We won’t let uranium mining in Nallamala forest
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday declared in the Assembly that the state government will not allow uranium mining in the Nallamala forests.
While replying to questions in the discussion on the budget, Mr Rao said that the state government has not given any permission for exploration or mining in the Nallamala forest since the formation of Telangana state. He assured that the government will not grant any permission in the future as well.
He said that mining will cause a serious threat to the Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam and Pulichintala projects, the major irrigation projects on Krishna river will get polluted and the irrigated area of two projects will severely affected. He said it will also cause a threat to Hyderabad.
When Congress Legislature
cent in funding to SCs though their population is 15 per cent and for STs, 9.3 per cent funds were released though their population is nine per cent.
He said that Telangana will soon utilise the 575 TMC of water from the Godavari through irrigation projects on the river in Telangana.
The Chief Minister told the House that very soon he and AP Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy
Mining will cause a serious threat to the Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam and Pulichintala projects, the major irrigation projects on Krishna river will get polluted and the irrigated area of two projects will severely affected
— K. CHANDRASEKHAR RAO, TS Chief Minister
Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka suggested passing a resolution requesting the Union government not to grant permission for uranium mining in the reserve forest, the CM said that the resolution will be introduced on Monday.
Earlier, making a statement in the Legislative Council on behalf of the state government, municipal administration minister K.T. Rama Rao explained that the subject of uranium mining was under the Union government’s
will meet in regard to sharing of Godavari waters and “we will bring
60 TMC of Godavari water to Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar. The AP chief minister has agreed to reduce the height of the Polavaram Project from
152 metres to 145 metres and he will discuss with the Odisha government how to reduce the submergence area so that the flood water can be diverted to the Krishna River,” Mr Rao added.
He said that during the late Rajasekhar Reddy’s regime, he had planned the Polavaram and Pulichintala projects and when the Telangana people agitated, he annou-nced the Tummidihatti project, but it could not be launched.
He explained that due to less water being available purview.
He said that the Opposition leaders are making irresponsible statements on this sensitive issue. He mentioned that it was the Congress government which gave permissions in 2009 through GO 127 for uranium mining in the Nallamala forest.
He said that the Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) is exploring uranium under the present BJPled union government.
The minister recalled that in 2016, the state forest department had rejected permissions for mining of uranium in the Nallamala forest.
He further said that Mr Rao is a nature-loving person and initiated the Haritha Haram afforestation programme. Such a person could not give any permission for uranium exploration or mining in forests.
He appealed to Opposition leaders to act with responsibility since it is a sensitive issue.
in the Tummidihatti project, they decided to lift water from Medigadda.
Referring to the allegations of the Congress that the TRS government has failed to provide jobs to the unemployed, the chief minister said that the state government has issued notification to fill up 1,44,300 jobs and so far 1,17,717 jobs have been filled up.
He said that for the minorities the TRS has sanctioned `3,994 crore in the past six years, whereas the Congress in its 10 years of rule had given only `925 crore for the minorities.
In his three-hour reply, the chief minister touched on several issues and targeted the failures of the Congress and TD rule in the undivided state.