HYDERABAD: A delegation of Congress leaders, led by Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to extend the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state.
Addressing the media after meeting Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Sudarshan Reddy, the minister said the voter revision process in Hyderabad was progressing at a very slow pace. “Only 21 per cent of the voter verification and revision work had been completed in the city. There are only 10 days left for the process to be completed as per the existing deadline,” he said.
“As the remaining time is inadequate to complete the process, we have urged the Election Commission to extend the SIR deadline and provide more time for voter registration and revision,” he added.
Earlier in the day, Prabhakar accused the BRS of politicising public issues and misleading people over the Kaleshwaram project.
Speaking to reporters after meeting AICC state in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan here, the minister alleged that the Kaleshwaram project had suffered structural damage even before the Congress government assumed office.
He blamed the BRS for “the collapse of the project” and said the Congress government would take the “conspiracy and failures” of the previous regime to every village.
Prabhakar said the government would immediately resume filling water in the Kaleshwaram project if the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) gives a final clearance.
He asserted that the government would strictly follow the recommendations of engineers and technical experts, and implement any measures suggested to restore the project.
Referring to climate conditions, he said that scientists and environmental experts have warned of below-normal rainfall due to the El Nino phenomenon. He said the government is issuing advisories to tackle the situation and urged farmers to cultivate alternative crops keeping the possibility of drought in mind.
The minister added that the government is fully prepared to deal with any natural calamity.