Telangana faces flak for Intensive Survey

Hyderabad: The Telangana government came under fire from Opposition parties in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday over the Intensive Household Survey conducted on August 19 by forcing people to stay indoors.

They asked what the TS government achieved through the survey by spending Rs 20 crore even as bars and restaurants were kept open when a holiday was declared for all establishments by halting the public transportation system. They questioned the rationale behind seeking details of assets while ignoring liabilities.

MIM Floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi said people were apprehensive about the survey and the prime fear was denial of government benefits to children, who are born and brought up in Hyderabad because their parents hail from  Seemandhra.

Opposition parties said inexperienced college and school students were used for the survey and 60 per cent of survey data was entered wrongly.

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter and Nizam-abad MP Kavitha was enrolled in both the locations, one at her in-laws house in Potangal village in Navipet mandal of Nizamabad district and in Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad.

TD member A. Revanth Reddy asked if the government was so confident about the accuracy of the survey, why was fresh applications called again for issuing ration cards and pensions causing further trouble to BPL families, widows, physically  challenged and senior citizens.

MIM leader Mr Owaisi said, “Over 25 per cent households were left out of the survey as the evaluators never turned up.”

Civil supplies minister Mr Etela Rajender replied that the survey was aimed to know the actual social and economic status of Telangana people and no discrimination would be shown towards anyone based on this report. He clarified that those who missed the survey would be given another chance for enrollment soon.