Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao's much publicised schemes Mission Kakatiya and Water Grid may not be launched in the current financial year. The election code of conduct came into effect on Wednesday in six districts for the March 19 MLC graduate constituencies elections.
Among the six districts are Warangal and Nalgonda, where pylons have been installed to mark the inauguration of the two schemes. “The model code is in force since Wednesday, no schemes or inauguration of old projects will not be allowed except for ongoing welfare and developmental schemes,” said Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar Lal.
Replying to a specific question, he said, “If they want to launch new schemes, they can do it in the other districts Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Medak, without formal inauguration and fanfare.” Both the schemes, each costing a little over Rs 25,000 crore, were proposed to be launched this month.
“The CM is going to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15, to invite him to launch the Water Grid project and a pylon is ready in Nalgonda district, I will discuss poll code restrictions with the CM and then decide,” Panchayati Raj and information technology minister K.T. Rama Rao told this correspondent.
When contacted, irrigation minister T. Harish Rao said, “We did not anticipate this. We have now two alternatives. Either we seek the Election Commission’s clearance to launch the schemes, as it is not intended for any political purpose or individual benefit, or we may launch the scheme in districts where there is no poll code. We will discuss this with the government and decide.”
Palle Pragathi, a scheme that Mr Rama Rao was to launch on Friday in Kowdipally in Medak district, was cancelled on Thursday citing the poll code. Though Medak district does not come under the poll code restrictions, the Panchayat Raj department seems to have advised the minister that it applies to new schemes. If the CM’s pet schemes are not launched up to March 21, and the Assembly in the midst of the Budget Session, there will be hardly any time for the launch of the schemes.
