Kamareddy MLA backtracks on master plan, faults planners, consultant

KAMAREDDY: With farmers up in arms over a proposed industrial zone encompassing their agricultural fields in Kamareddy, the constituency’s legislator and government whip Gampa Goverdhan on Saturday blamed the consultant and town planners for redrawing the plan without approval. He said the local administration would not approve the current draft plan.

Goverdhan said that the consultant and the directorate of town & country planning (DTCP) had made “many changes” without approvals, causing confusion.

The MLA’s climbdown came as a victory for protesting farmers who have been agitating against the proposal for the past 20 days. A protester, Payyavula Ramulu, had died by suicide fearing that his land would be taken over.

Goverdhan did not clarify if the faulty draft master plan was the one displayed on flexis in the town and villages. He said that the consultant, Delhi-based Design and Development Forum, and DTCP officials were “100 per cent wrong” for deviating from the plan approved by the Kamareddy municipal council.

Further, he said this was precisely why there was a 60-day window for filing objections and that January 11 is the last date for the same.

Attempting to extricate himself and the municipal council from the controversy, Goverdhan said that at the next council meeting, it would not approve the modified draft plan. “We will not finalise this one,” Goverdhan said.

The BRS MLA also went on to blame the Congress and the BJP for creating fear among farmers that they would lose their lands.

Appealing to farmers to not worry about the master plan, he said: “We are taking all necessary steps to prevent any adverse impact on the farming community in finalisation of new master plan.”

Goverdhan said that the issue will be taken to the notice of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K.T. Rama Rao.