During the winter sessions of Rajya Sabha, YSRCP MP, V.Vijaya Sai Reddy
posed questions to the Minister of Road Transport and Highways, the Minister
for Water Resources, River Development and the Minister for Rural Development regarding
the functioning of Toll Plazas in Andhra Pradesh, the CEO of Polavaram Project
Authority meeting with Polavaram Project displaced people and the use of
MGNREGA Funds for Railways, respectively.
Functioning of Toll Plazas in
Andhra Pradesh
Vijaya Sai Reddy has asked
the Minister of Road transport and Highways about the toll collected in Andhra
Pradesh by NHAI during 2015-16 toll plaza-wise, whether it is a fact that the
toll plazas are not being managed properly and effectively between Rajahmundry
and Visakhapatnam in terms of efficiency, good environment and fast movement
and how NHAI proposes to direct the concerned Project Directors to improve toll
plazas within a time-frame and about the steps proposed in this regard.
The Minister of the
state in the Ministry of Road transport and Highways, Mansukh L.Mandaviya, has
responded to Vijaya Sai Reddy’s questions in writing. He has provided
information of the toll plaza-wise detail of fee collection of public funded
fee plazas in Andhra Pradesh by NHAI during 2015-16 in an annexure. He
mentioned that toll plazas on National Highways are operated and managed by
NHAI through Concessionaire / Contractor as per the provisions of Concession /
Contract Agreement. To further improve the performance, NHAI has already issued
various guidelines.
CEO of Polavaram Project Authority
meeting with Polavaram Project displaced people
Vijaya Sai Reddy has
asked the Minister of Water resources, River development and Ganga Rejuvenation
to state whether the CEO of Polavaram Project Authority has either denied or
avoided a meeting with the displaced farmers and tribals of Polavaram during
the last six months, what are the reasons for not engaging with the Forum on
Social and Human Rights to find humane solutions to their massive displacement
and about the steps proposed to assure the project affected persons and the Forum
of an early meeting in Delhi.
The Minister of the
State in the Ministry of Water Respurces, River Development and Gnga
Rejuvenation, Dr.Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, has informed that the Rehabilitation
& Resettlement activities in Polavaram Irrigation Project are being supervised
by the Water Resources Department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh as per
relevant rules in this regard. The concerns regarding rehabilitation of project
affected persons received from various entities are forwarded to the Government
of Andhra Pradesh for appropriate action.
The Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Polavaram Project Authority(PPA) had a meeting with Shri P.
Pulla Rao, President Forum on Social & Human Rights, on 11.05.2016
regarding issues related to the displaced farmers and tribals due to Polavaram
Irrigation Project. Further, CEO, PPA has sent a communication to Dr. Pulla Rao
intimating status of matter and assuring to meet him at his convenient time, if
required, he has stated.
Use of MGNREGA Funds for Railways
MP Vijaya Sai Reddy
has questioned the Minister of Rural Development if Railways has submitted a
proposal to Government to permit the use of MGNREGA funds for railway works and
manual labourers, about the details of this proposal and whether Government has
agreed to this proposal. He has also wanted to know what constraints the
Ministry has in converging MGNREGA with railway construction work and what
other changes are being made in accessibility of MGNREGA funds for public use.
The Minister of the
state in the Ministry of Rural Development, Ram Kripal Yadav, has informed in
response to the MP’s question that no formal proposal has been received. MGNREGA
funds are available for all public works that are permitted under the Act and
have been taken as per prescribed planning process. The Act provides for
process of inclusion of new works into this list for rural areas, he had added.
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