: Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao on Sunday expressed concern over assurances — made in Parliament and decisions taken by the Union Cabinet at the time of the State’s bifurcation — not being implemented fully. He termed “politically motivated” the State’s division by those in power then who had paid a price for it in the elections held after bifurcation.
Need for cordial ties
Underscoring the need for maintaining cordial relations with the Centre to get the State’s due, he exhorted people to strengthen the hands of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu who was working hard to ensure dispersed development across the State, learning bitter lessons from Hyderabad-centric development in the previous six decades.
Giving an indication that in all likelihood the monsoon session of the Assembly would be held in Amaravati, Dr. Rao, who along with the Council Chairman had approved the interior plan for the Assembly building, said the Chief Minister had promised to ensure its completion in time for holding the session in the new State capital. The State standing in second position in the ease of doing business after Gujarat was itself a big credit for Navya Andhra which was sure to attract big-ticket projects and leapfrog in growth in the coming years, he said.
He was speaking after felicitating first-time TDP MLA from Ongole D. Janardhana Rao for implementing Rs. 460 crore worth development works within two years at a function got up by the Acharya N.G. Ranga Kisan Samstha. Giving full credit to people of Sattenapalli, his home constituency for emerging as a role model in the Swachh Bharat campaign, he said only with community participation the State and the country would be able to achieve the big task of ending open defecation, which was responsible for over 50 per cent of all health issues.
State Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao expressed confidence that Navya Andhra would forge ahead in development overcoming all teething troubles.
Yerragondapalem MLA P. David Raju urged the Speaker to use his good offices for early completion of the Veligonda project mooted by the latter to find a permanent solution to the water woes of Prakasam district.
