Telangana: Congress Ministers face salvos from party MLAs in Assembly

The ruling Congress found itself in a trouble during the Question Hour, with the party's own MLAs contradicting the claims of its Ministers in the Assembly on Monday.

Hyderabad: The ruling Congress found itself in a trouble during the Question Hour, with the party’s own MLAs contradicting the claims of its Ministers in the Assembly on Monday.

In response to a question, Panchayat Raj Minister D Anasuya (Seethakka) informed that 12,607 out of 12,941 gram panchayats now have road connectivity. She announced plans to construct 17,000 km of roads with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore over next four years. She informed the House that around 334 villages have no road connectivity and the Congress government had plans to lay BT roads to connect all gram panchayats.

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However, Congress MLA Chikkudu Vamsi Krishna countered her, highlighting that 422 villages and 3,177 habitations remain unconnected. He urged for immediate measures to connect the rural areas.

Another Congress MLA Malreddy Rangareddy requested the Minister to release the funds which were pending to gram panchayats without any further delay. He said the government must allow the local elected representatives to develop their localities.

Tourism promotion also came under discussion, with Minister Jupally Krishna Rao announcing plans for a new tourism policy by 2025-26, focusing on spiritual, eco, and wellness tourism. He stated that a new zoological park is in the pipeline, but no plans have been finalised. Congress MLA Balu Naik Nenavath and several others asked the government to focus on exploring new areas and focus on developing them into tourist spots.

Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu had a heated exchange with Congress MLA Janampalli Anirudh Reddy who accused the State government for not initiating any action against industrial pollution caused by pharma companies at TGIIC Industrial Park in Polepally village. While Sridhar Babu explained that the Pollution Control Board (PCB) officials investigated and found no pollution. But the MLA was quick to retort stating that he personally found the polluted water being released into Mudireddypally tank, and the officials could not find it as they visited several days after the complaint was lodged.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Katipally Venkata Ramana Reddy alleged alterations to his question on industrial parks and crucial questions being omitted. He sought clarity on the establishment and operational status of industrial units. Sridhar Babu clarified that multiple issues in a single query are often clubbed together. He announced plans for 35 industrial parks across 13,741 acres, including government, assigned, and patta lands, with the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) leading the project. An inquiry committee was constituted to address non-functional units, with findings expected by February..