KCR Presentation On Irrigation Projects In Assembly

The TRS government created history of sorts in the State legislature when a computer-driven presentation on irrigation projects was made by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in the Telangana Assembly on Thursday.

The presentation was made by the CM using a computer that was projected onto two 8' x 10' screens erected on either side of the Speaker's podium in the Officers Gallery, and used PowerPoint and Google Maps extensively.

The TRS members, and the MIM and the Left parties heard the Chief Minister's narrative and watched the presentation with rapt attention. The members of the Legislative Council viewed the same from the visitors' gallery.

The Congress and the TDP members boycotted the presentation on the grounds that it was unconstitutional. However, the Congress Leader of Opposition K Jana Reddy and deputy leader Bhatti Vikramarka watched the same in the CLP office where arrangements for screening it had been made. Similar arrangements were also made in the Darbar Hall of the Legislative Council. Congress leaders Jeevan Reddy and Shabbir Ali viewed the presentation at Gandhi Bhavan where, too, it was telecast.

Flash drives containing the details of the presentation were also supplied to the members.

Before commencing his presentation, the Chief Minister made a lengthy speech recalling how the people of Telangana had been denied of their due share of waters for irrigation and drinking purposes, and the earlier governments' neglect and failure to tackle the water issues that confronted the Telangana region during the days of undivided Andhra Pradesh. He also recalled how these factors had led to the advent of the Telangana movement.

The Chief Minister further said that after the formation of Telangana State, a detailed study was made by the present regime to tackle the water crisis and also the measures to be taken to ensure that the parched lands of Telangana turned fertile. He asserted that the TRS government's endeavour was to ensure that one crore acres of land in the State would get adequate water for irrigation.