A delegation of Telangana BJP leaders led by K Laxman visited New Delhi and met various union ministers to discuss issues concerning the state.
A delegation led by Telangana BJP president Dr K Laxman visited New Delhi and met various union ministers to discuss issues concerning the state.
The delegation, whose members included party national secretary Muralidhar Rao, called on union ministers Alphons Joseph Kannanthanam, Nitin Gadkari, Mahesh Sharma, Ananth Kumar and Dharmendra Pradhan, and made a variety of requests.
The BJP leaders told the ministers that the Medaram jathara, held biennially, should be declared as a national festival as over one crore devotees, particularly girijans, attended it. The jathara was not restricted to Telangana and had a pan-India appeal as it attracted thousands of devotees from the neighbouring states of AP, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, too, they said.
The ministers assured the delegation that their request would be considered.
In a discussion with tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam, the BJP leaders requested him to sanction funds for the development of the Koti Lingala temple in Jagtial; and Dhulikatta, Phanigiri, Nelgondapalli, Kondapur and Gajulbanda towns. The minister assured the leaders that if he received a proposal concerning the same from the state government, his ministry would consider it.
The delegation also urged Road & Transport minister Nitin Gadkari to announce the Hyderabad-Adilabad stretch of National Highway 44 and the Hyderabad stretch of National Highway 63 as economic zones.
Additionally, they asked the minister to develop an express highway between Hyderabad and Vijayawada as envisaged in the AP Bifurcation Act, and to lay ring roads covering Khammam - Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar - Nalgonda and Adilabad towns.
The minister gave his nod for a by-pass road to be constructed on the Suryapet-Khammam national highway at Bandamida Chandupatla. He also assured the Telangana BJP leaders that the union government would soon come up with a comprehensive plan for constructing roads in the state for its development.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan assured the delegation that free gas connections would be provided to the poor under the Ujwala scheme. Gas would be supplied via a pipeline in Hyderabad, he said.
Other members of the delegation included MLC N Ramchander Rao, former minister Chanda Lingiah Dora, ex-MLA Dr T Rajeshwar Rao, Kunja Satyavati, Vannala Sriramulu, Sankineni Venkateswara Rao, state party vice-president S Malla Reddy, state party general secretary Chintha Samba Murthy, G Premender Reddy, and ST Morcha national secretary Amar Singh Pawar.