HYDERABAD: Housing & Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Thursday alleged that opposition BRS leaders were spreading malicious lies over demolition of houses built on Bhoodan lands in Khammam.
“The BRS leaders are unable to digest the fact that the people of Telangana are endorsing the present government’s policies and initiatives, and supporting the Congress in every election. That’s why they are spreading malicious propaganda against the government, with the support of BJP leaders, on the demolition of houses constructed in Bhoodan lands,” he said.
He clarified that the government removed illegally constructed houses as per the high court orders. “As directed by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, house sites and houses will be provided to eligible families,” he said.
Srinivasa Reddy, along with his fellow Cabinet members Ponnam Prabhakar and G Vivek Venkatswamy, MPs P Balaram Naik, Ramasahayam Raghuram Reddy, MLAs Rajender Reddy and Madhava Reddy, was addressing the media at the Secretariat.
Criticising the previous regime, Srinivasa Reddy said that it was the then BRS government that demolished houses of the poor at Velugumatla on July 15, 2023. “BRS promised to rebuild houses for the poor in Velugumatla. But never fulfilled that promise,” he said.
The minister demanded that BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao immediately respond and use part of the money “looted” in the name of Kaleshwaram project to build houses for the poor.
He said that BJP leaders once termed the Kaleshwaram project an ATM for BRS but later joined hands with the same party. “Even after the Justice Ghose Commission submitted its report and the Assembly passed a resolution to refer the matter to the CBI, the Centre has not responded so far,” he said.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar alleged that the previous regime had done grave injustice to north Telangana in water projects. “The BRS government pushed the state into a debt trap. After forming the government, the Congress released a white paper and discussed Kaleshwaram, seeking action from the Centre. The Congress government has already paid about `48,000 crore interest on the loans taken by the previous government,” he said.