THE CPI(M) has condemned the decision of the TRS government in Telangana to demolish a 150-year-old heritage structure and construct a new secretariat building at Erra Manzil. CPI(M) state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram said the funds earmarked for the construction of the new secretariat building should be used for various welfare schemes. Buildings in the old secretariat are fully equipped for smooth functioning of the state legislature and administration, he added.

The high court too pulled up the state government. It said that when a sufficiently large assembly building is available, why should the state go for construction of a new structure. The strength of legislators has also come down from 294 to 119 with the bifurcation of the state and MLCs are only 40 in number. The court also questioned how ‘bhoomi puja’ (ground-breaking ceremony) was conducted without any plan or estimate for the structure. Hearing a bunch of writ petitions objecting to the construction of the new secretariat, the court directed the government to submit details of the site, building plan and design. In 2016, when some people had approached the court objecting to the plan for demolition of the secretariat building, the government had assured that it would not bring down the structure. Now going for demolition amounts to contempt of court, the CPI(M) leader said.

ON FOREST LANDS:

The CPI(M) has demanded resolving the problems of ‘podu’ lands of tribals. Veerabhadram reminded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had given assurance that podu (traditional system of cultivation used by tribals) lands will be protected, and their problems will be solved. In Sarsala village in Asifabad district, forest officials have forcibly taken the lands of farmers and planted saplings, leading to tension and conflict. Under the Kaleswaram project, forest department land has been acquired by the government. And, in return, the government gave 220 acres of land in Sarsala village to the forest department. Under this pretext, the forest officials have taken the lands of farmers who have been cultivating it for last 40-45 years. With the deployment of a large number of policemen, the forest officials planted saplings and the resistance of the villagers led to a clash. In Warangal, Khammam, Mahabubabad and Adilabad districts, such attacks by forest officials take place on poor Dalit and tribal lands regularly. The CPI(M) demanded that the government intervene and implement the 2006 forest act. Attacks of police and forest officials on cultivated fields should be stopped. All false cases registered against tribals should be withdrawn. If forest officials continue such attacks, a state wide agitation has to be taken up, he warned. (END)