The Congress High Command has decided to appoint an internal committee to look into the continuous allegations regarding the Polavaram dam and the contractors involved.
The irrigation minister, Mr Ponnala Laxmaiah, returned from New Delhi on Saturday after submitting details on the Polavaram tenders and the progress made till now. He met Mr Ahmed Patel, the political secretary to the Congress president, and few other senior leaders to explain details about the Polavaram project and alternatives suggested by the engineering expert, Mr T. Hanumantha Rao.
Sources close to the minister said that Mrs Sonia Gandhi was upset when she learnt that two contracting agencies had allegedly been paid Rs 250 crore without actually doing any work.
M/S B. Seenaiah and Company and M/S Madhucon Projects, a company owned by Telugu Desam parliamentary party leader, Mr Nama Nageswara Rao, were awarded the project works and paid mobilisation advance during 2005-09. Since both the companies had failed to start the work, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy government had cancelled the work and decided to go for fresh tenders.
The Congress senior leaders in Delhi have apparently expressed their displeasure over the issue and asked Mr Ponnala why the government could not recover the money from the contractors as they had failed to execute the tender.
Sources also revealed that the Governor, Mr E.S.L. Narasimhan, has also submitted a report on the Jalayagnam progress and irrigation experts in the party are studying both Mr Ponnala’s report and the Governor’s report to identify the flaws in the programme.
After returning from New Delhi, Mr Ponnala went to the Chief Minister to update him with the details of his visit. It may be recalled that Mr Ponnala Laxmaiah had himself requested Mr K. Rosaiah to appoint an inquiry committee to probe into the allegation levelled by some of the senior leaders in the Congress. The Chief Minister, however, had declined to act on that request and instead had expressed serious concern that the public criticism by a senior leader would dent the image of the party.
In Friday’s Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister made it clear that under no circumstances would the Polavaram design be changed and directed other ministers to defend the government stand on the dam.
Showing posts with label Ahmed Patel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ahmed Patel. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Congress nails Jagan Yatra lies
The Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, invited trouble once again on Tuesday by stating that the Congress leadership had permitted him to continue his Odarpu Yatra in non-Telangana districts, provoking an angry response from the high command that no such consent was given.
With this, the 37-year-old ambitious and impulsive MP has suffered a major loss of face both at Delhi and at the home front.
On Monday night, Mr Jagan was reprimanded by the political secretary of the Congress president, Mr Ahmed Patel, for taking out the yatra and was told clearly that he should postpone his tour of non-Telangana districts too. But on Tuesday morning, Mr Jagan met the in-charge of AP Congress affairs, Mr Veerappa Moily, and after coming out of the meeting, said that he had been given permission to tour Srikakulam district from June 8. “Mr Moily gave me the go-ahead with a smile,” said Mr Jagan. “He also told me that he will convince Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Ahmed Patel on allowing me to continue the tour. I am very happy the high command has accepted my explanation.”
n Page 4: Moily denies clearing Jagan yatra
With this, the 37-year-old ambitious and impulsive MP has suffered a major loss of face both at Delhi and at the home front.
On Monday night, Mr Jagan was reprimanded by the political secretary of the Congress president, Mr Ahmed Patel, for taking out the yatra and was told clearly that he should postpone his tour of non-Telangana districts too. But on Tuesday morning, Mr Jagan met the in-charge of AP Congress affairs, Mr Veerappa Moily, and after coming out of the meeting, said that he had been given permission to tour Srikakulam district from June 8. “Mr Moily gave me the go-ahead with a smile,” said Mr Jagan. “He also told me that he will convince Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Ahmed Patel on allowing me to continue the tour. I am very happy the high command has accepted my explanation.”
n Page 4: Moily denies clearing Jagan yatra
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
High command snubs Jagan, says no loose talk
The Kadapa MP, Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was sharply reprimanded by the Congress high command on Monday for his defiance but not before he made things worse by blaming the Chief Minister, Mr K. Rosaiah, for the violent incidents in Mahbubabad on Friday during his botched ‘Odarpu yatra’.
Jagan rushed to Delhi to pacify the high command, but in an obvious signal of displeasure, the Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has not given him an appointment so far. Instead, her political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel, gave him a sharp dressing-down for his defiance and asked him not to indulge in ‘loose talk’.
But that was exactly what the young MP did before meeting Mr Patel, by appearing before the media and making a direct attack on Mr Rosaiah for not providing security to the MLA, Ms Konda Surekha, who was pelted with stones at Mahbubabad railway station by Telangana agitators.
“When women legislators belonging to weaker sections are being attacked by some 100 Telangana activists with stones, why was there no policeman there?” he asked. “Whose failure was this? Is the CM not responsible for this? I will tell the party high command that the Rosaiah government is non-functioning.”
Jagan rushed to Delhi to pacify the high command, but in an obvious signal of displeasure, the Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has not given him an appointment so far. Instead, her political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel, gave him a sharp dressing-down for his defiance and asked him not to indulge in ‘loose talk’.
But that was exactly what the young MP did before meeting Mr Patel, by appearing before the media and making a direct attack on Mr Rosaiah for not providing security to the MLA, Ms Konda Surekha, who was pelted with stones at Mahbubabad railway station by Telangana agitators.
“When women legislators belonging to weaker sections are being attacked by some 100 Telangana activists with stones, why was there no policeman there?” he asked. “Whose failure was this? Is the CM not responsible for this? I will tell the party high command that the Rosaiah government is non-functioning.”
