Palvai lashes at Ponnala for siding with Seemandhra leaders

Congress senior leader and MLC Palvai Govardhan Reddy on Wednesday took strongly criticized Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakhsmaiah for taking a delegation of Seemandhra MPs to meet Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh over the Polavaram Irrigation Project.

Talking to media persons at the CLP office, the senior Congress leader stated that the Minister, who professes to be a pro-Telangana activist was now acting on the behest of Seemandhra leaders. He further accused Mr Lakshmaiah of having failed to protect the interests of Telangana farmers.

Reacting on Union Environment and Forests Ministry’s letter to the state government seeking to know why no public hearing was held and no clearance sought for additional components of the Polavarm project, Mr Govardhan said that the project would submerge about 250-350 villages in the Telangana region. 

He said the environmentalists like Prof T Shivaji Rao and eminent engineers like T Hanumantha Rao are of the opinion that a barrage would be more suitable for the project instead of a dam which could be risky.

Mr Govardhan also stated that he had deep suspicions over the commitments of the members of the Cabinet in getting National Project status to Pranahita and Chevella projects in Telangana region.