Janmabhoomi begins in 8,000 habitations

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 2. The 14th round of the Janmabhoomi programme of self-help started off in about 8,000 habitations of the State today, with a focus on farmers' welfare, but marked here and there by protests by activists of Congress and Left parties, who promised to disrupt the programmes. In the next one week, gram sabhas are to be conducted in another 50,000 habitations, where beneficiaries for the welfare programmes are to be chosen, and those already sanctioned old age pensions, collect their three- month arrears.

Tenali town observed a bandh today in protest against the failure of the Government to force the Food Corporation of India to purchase paddy discoloured in rain, while the programme was boycotted in about a dozen villages. In this round, the Government intends to distribute 1,30,000 LPG connections to women belonging to poorer sections. Also, the 93,000 old and destitute persons identified to receive 10 kg of rice, free of cost every month, are to be given coupons which they can exchange at the fair price shops for the rice.

The Chief Minister, Mr. N.Chandrababu Naidu, participated in the programme in Ghatkesar near Hyderabad, and ordered the suspension of a Village Development Officer who said he was commuting daily from Hyderabad and so could not collect taxes. The Chief Minister asked the villagers whether they saw the Mandal Education Officer conducting adult literacy programme, and they replied that they had never seen him anywhere near. The DWCRA women, however, explained that they pooled their savings and went to the rescue of a member whose child was sick, and that they had enough savings to meet the credit requirements of their members.

The Congress objects to these programmes on the ground that the beneficiaries are all Telugu Desam sympathisers, and that the Government ``did nothing'' for farmers' welfare. The Left parties had promised to convert this into a ``ranabhoomi'' (battleground) through questioning.

The Chief Minister ought to have participated in Vemulapadu village in Prakasam district, but having been airborne in helicopter for half an hour, the pilot reported poor visibility and returned to Hyderabad. A former Minister, Mr. G.V.Seshu, was stopped by the police as he was going to Vemulapadu to give a representation to the Chief Minister while a number of Congress and Left party activists were arrested as they were proceeding to the village. The APCC President, Mr. M.Sathyanarayana Rao, condemned these arrests, saying that Janmabhoomi was a programme of interaction, and people had a right to represent their grievances to officials.

In Vemagiri in East Godavari, Mr. Jakkampudi Ramamohana Rao, Congress MLA, came with a paddy bag on his head, saying there were no buyers. At Vijayawada, Left parties' activists disrupted a programme in which the Mayor, Ms Anuradha, participated, questioning her about proposed power tariff hike. In Lingampalli, the former Congress MP, Mr. Nandi Yelliah, who was the party observer for Cuddapah, and the DCC President, Mr. Sheikh Hussain, came to a meeting addressed by the Minister, Ms. Saraswathi, at the fag end, and questioned her about the farmers' problems, but the District Collector, Mr. Adar Sinha, intervened to say that they had already explained the position to farmers.

However, a Congress MLA, Mr. B.Krishnam Naidu, participated in a programme at Chejerla village in Nellore district and appreciated the spirit of Janmabhoomi, while a former Congress MP, Mr. V.Rajeswara Rao, addressed a meeting along with the Minister, Mr. E.Peddi Reddy, in Singapur village of Karimnagar district.

The Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, listening to an old woman at the Janmabhoomi programme at Ghatkesar in Rangareddy district on Tuesday.

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