Parliament Passes Polavaram Bill; Telangana Govt. Yet To Legally Contest It

Despite protests in Telangana, the Parliament on Monday passed a bill in support of the multi-purpose Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh, with the Union government assuring of all possible steps for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected people.

The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, passed by Lok Sabha last week, was approved by Rajya Sabha by a voice vote on Monday, after a debate during which Congress and BJP sought to take ‘credit’ for bringing the amendment, which would displace lakhs of tribals and subvert the spirit of article 3.

Congress member and former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said while it was not easy to implement the project, it was good to find the NDA government taking it forward. This reflected the tradition of ‘healthy democratic politics’ in the country, he said. Mr Ramesh was instrumental in not just shaping this ordinance before the election but also working closely with BJP and TDP after the election in bringing out the ordinance.

The project involves the relocation of about around 100,000 families especially in Khammam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh, besides roughly 5000 families in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Union Home minister Rajnath Singh, while replying to the debate on the issue in Rajya Sabha, claimed the Central government has not violated any constitutional norm while bringing the bill. Polavaram is a Central project and the government will address the rehabilitation and resettlement issue if any, he said, while seeking to allay the concerns of the members with regard to the possible submergence of certain areas in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

Despite all the noises they made, the Telangana Congressmen once again proved their inability to influence their high command and Congress gave full support to the bill in Rajya Sabha. The TDP RS members are even more pathetic and could not even speak openly about Telangana’s concerns with the design of the project. The TRS vehemently criticized the passage of the bill in and outside Parliament. However, there are no clear signals from Telangana Government on whether it would take the legal fight, over the validity of the procedure adapted, to it’s logical conclusion. While TRS MPs have initiated legal challenges already, the Telangana Government is yet to step in and challenge the Ordinance or the way Lok Sabha took up the bill against the procedures laid out in Article 3.