Cong, Revanth must think carefully while making promises: Eatala

Hyderabad: Malkajgiri MP Eatala Rajender said, “Before making promises in the elections, Congress should think carefully and urge its Chief Minister in Telangana to refrain from making reckless attempts to sell not only government lands but also university lands, which would deprive children of education.” During a press conference in the national capital on Friday, he addressed the controversy surrounding the land sale. He pointed out that former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had proposed selling lands in united Andhra Pradesh, stating in the budget that Rs 12,000 crore would be generated from these sales. “We opposed this in the Assembly as activists for Telangana,” Eatala remarked.

He questioned the government’s development plans when all the ponds have been polluted, and park areas have been encroached upon, leaving little space for recreation or walking.

While the state government could establish factories and institutes on government lands to create jobs, he asked, “Should they sell off bio-diverse lands for real estate ventures?” He dismissed the allegations against the BJP, encouraging people to visit and see the evidence of existing trees and birds in the Kancha Gachibowli area.

He also mentioned that a series of efforts are underway to meet with concerned Union Ministers regarding development projects. The MMTS railway station at Suchitra, which is adjacent to military land, has become deserted due to the closure of its route. “We have requested the construction of a road in that area and discussed other defence-related issues with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,” he said.

He noted that ongoing issues with the Railway Under Bridge (RUB) and Railway Over Bridge (ROB) are causing significant delays for many commuters. “We spoke in detail with the Railway Minister about these problems, and he assured us they would be resolved.” The Vande Bharat train currently does not stop anywhere in the Adilabad parliamentary area. “We have requested that it include a stop near us. The Cherlapalli Railway Terminal has been inaugurated under the Railway Ministry, and we have also asked for various trains to stop at different stations, which they have agreed to.”

He highlighted that historically, the ponds in the Malkajagiri parliamentary area had clean water, but they have now become foul-smelling. Due to a lack of funding from the State Government, Rs 133 crore has been allocated through the Jal Shakti Mission for drainage systems, drinking water, and directing harmful drainage away from the ponds.

“We have urged the Jal Shakti Minister to utilise these funds effectively. Under the Swachh Bharat initiative, the central government is providing direct funding to rapidly growing cities for development.