No difference between Cong. and BRS regarding environment: Raghunandan Rao

HYDERABAD

BJP MP M. Raghunandan Rao said that there is no difference between Congress and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regarding their approach to environmental protection.

Alleging that enough damage has been inflicted upon green cover during the previous BRS regime, he questioned party MLA K.T. Rama Rao’s stance on environmental protection.

Addressing a press conference at the State BJP office on Saturday, he pointed out that the BRS government had tried to scrap GO 111 (GO prohibits development or construction in the catchment area of the two major lakes in Hyderabad Osmansagar and Himayatsagar up to a radius of 10 km) and turn lakhs of acres of land into concrete jungles during its tenure. “Why didn’t KTR remember environmental protection during 10 years of BRS rule?”

Condemning the Congress government’s attempts to ‘destruct’ 400 acres of land at Kancha Gachibowli, he said that BJP had been opposing this “bulldozer use” right from the beginning. “BJP has filed a complaint with Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav over the issue,” he said.

Slamming KTR for his recent comments on Kancha Gachibowli issue, he accused the BRS leader of trying to mislead the public by claiming that a BJP MP had a role in the issue.

He also charged KTR and his relatives with constructing farm houses by violating GO 111. “Does KTR’s farm house fall under the limits of GO 111 or not? Do Harish Rao and Kavitha have farm houses in the area that falls under the same GO limits or not? These issues should be made public,” he said. He sought to know how permissions were given for 50-storied buildings around Ring Road under the Strategic Road Development Project (SRDP).

Mr. Raghunandan Rao also warned KTR against spreading lies about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.