KTR flays govt. on SLBC work halt, faults YC protest at AI Summit

HYDERABAD

Working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao criticised the State government for its failure to resume work on the excavation of tunnel of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project after it came to a grinding halt on February 21 last year following roof collapse of the tunnel under construction burying eight workers alive.

The government had failed to recover/bring out the bodies from the debris, denying the families of six persons even a last sight at the mortal remains of their dear ones as over a month-long rescue operation could find only two bodies last year. In a statement, he said on Saturday that despite repeated announcements of resuming the work ‘soon’ it was yet to begin.

On the Youth Congress activists’ protest at the AI Summit in New Delhi on Friday, he said it was absolutely deplorable that they chose a global event involving the country’s reputation for the party’s petty political ‘theatrics’. Using such a global platform for protests would project the country in a poor light internationally, he said.

While difference of opinion is natural in a democracy, such events were not the place to register political dissent. The Youth Congress chose the event which was addressed by a Chief Minister from their party (A. Revanth Reddy).