Merge 5 villages of AP with Telangana: Council members

The Legislative Council members also demanded the Centre extend immediate financial assistance to Telangana for the damages suffered due to the Godavari floods in July this year.

Hyderabad: Cutting across party lines, Legislative Council members on Tuesday demanded merger of five villages (near Bhadrachalam) from Andhra Pradesh with Telangana and re-assessment of submergence impact on Bhadrachalam due to backwaters of Polavaram project.

They also demanded the Centre extend immediate financial assistance to Telangana for the damages suffered due to the Godavari floods in July this year. To press in for their demands, the Members insisted that resolutions be passed in the Legislative Council.

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Transport Minister P Ajay Kumar reiterated the demand to merge the Andhra Pradesh five villages near Bhadrachalam with Telangana, considering the hardships being faced by people. The merger of these villages would facilitate in constructing of retaining wall and avoid inundation, he said.

The Minister also insisted on the reassessment of submergence impact on Bhadrachalam due to the backwaters of Polavaram project. “To this effect, both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments should pass resolutions and submit the same to the Central government,” Ajay Kumar said.

The State government assessed the damaged suffered due to river Godavari floods at Rs 1,400 crore and submitted a report to the Central government. Yet, there was no response from the BJP government, he said TRS member Palla Rajeshwar Reddy.

There were floods in six BJP-ruled States and few others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced immediate grant of Rs 1,000 crore for Gujarat and in all Rs 3,063 crore aid was extended to other States but not a single rupee was granted to Telangana so far, he slammed.

MIM member Syed Aminul Jaffri said union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Hyderabad several times but did not have the time to inspect the flood-affected areas in Bhadrachalam and other districts. Submergence of Bhadrachalam and neighbouring areas would become a recurring problem every monsoon and wanted reassessment of impact due to Polavaram backwaters.

MLC A Narsi Reddy appreciated the measures taken by the State government in ensuring no human loss during the floods. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to lead the initiative of seeking the merger of five villages from Andhra Pradesh with Telangana, he suggested.