YSR's "gifts" to people during 2006

2005
Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Dec 31: The State government has several "gifts" up its sleeves to make life "more comfortable" for people in the new year by checking pollution, reducing road accidents, fighting corruption in offices, improving irrigation facilities, bettering the lot of women, dalits and minorities through increased budgetary allocation and creating political employment in the form of legislative council membership.
As Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy has already made it clear in his new year resolutions, the State government will concentrate more on the on-going projects and schemes rather than taking up fresh ones. However, the government will lay thrust on welfare schemes increasing budgetary allocation to the welfare department by at least 20 per cent.
Travel to rural areas will be much easier during 2006 with the government taking up the much-hyped Indiramma project aimed at an integrated development of neglected villages. Good roads and potable water will be available in all these villages by June.
At least two lakh acres of parched land will turn greener by the time the Khariff-2006 operations begin. Five irrigation projects including Gundlakamma, Devadula, Pushkar, Alisagar and Tadipudi would be in place by April-May, says an official in the CMO. As a new year's gift to farmers, Rajasekhar Reddy will release water into the Jhanjhavati project on January 1.
Elections to panchayat bodies will be held as scheduled in June-July and before that the government will put into motion the revival of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. The budget session of the Assembly will be preceded by Cabinet expansion. On the political front, the government has nothing much to offer to people. Unemployed Congressmen will find placements in APLC and other government bodies by Independence Day.
The long-pending 25 paise interest loans to DWCRA will become a reality before March-end.
Coming to the city, Hyderabadis will get better living conditions with wider roads and hurdle-free footpaths. Garbage dumpyards from city will be shifted to outskirts relieving citizens of foul smell and pollution hazards, according to municipal commissioner Sanjay Jaju.
The APSRTC plans to discipline its drivers and conductors to make them more people-friendly. Commuters will get a courteous service from the bus staff.