Lok Satta refutes Govt. claim

The Lok Satta Party today refuted Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao’s claim in the Assembly that its President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan had commended the State Government for its relief and rehabilitation measures in the wake of unprecedented floods in River Krishna in October 2009.

Talking to the media, party spokespersons Katari Srinivasa Rao and V. Laxman Balaji said that on the contrary the Lok Satta Party President had charged the State Government with miserable failure in undertaking long-term rehabilitation measures.

They recalled that Dr. JP said both within and outside the House, that civil society organizations and the Government responded magnificently in providing immediate succor to flood victims. The Government, however, had not taken up either construction of houses or reclamation of sand-cast land. It had not initiated any measures to prevent flooding of powerhouses on either side of the Srisailam dam and to strengthen flood banks to withstand floods of the magnitude of October 2009. The Government had also not published a white paper explaining the inundation of Kurnool city.

The Lok Satta leaders regretted that instead of discussing issues of importance, ruling party and Opposition party leaders were indulging in one-upmanship to gain political mileage.