Hyderabad: The opening day of the winter session of the assembly on Monday saw leader of the opposition K Chandrasekhar Rao attend briefly, while leader of the House chief minister A Revanth Reddy walked up to KCR in the House, enquired about his health and shook hands with him. Several bills, including GHMC expansion and removal of the two-child norm in panchayat elections, were tabled, and more than 40 legislators raised issues relating to their respective assembly constituencies during the zero hour.MLAs urged the govt to construct Telangana Bhavans in Tirumala in AP and Sabarimala in Kerala for the convenience of devotees from the state. The members also raised concerns about maintaining decorum by avoiding unparliamentary language, and highlighted constituency issues, including monkey and stray dog menace. Controversial remarks, including an allegation that a check dam was blasted using bombs, led to an uproar in the House. The legislators also raised demands ranging from release of govt employees’ pending DAs and PRC to procurement of paddy and other agricultural products, with ministers countering opposition allegations.KCR left the assembly after his brief stay. After the speaker adjourned the House, CM Revanth Reddy convened a meeting of ministers and MLAs in his chambers to discuss strategy on river water sharing and irrigation projects to be taken up in the assembly.Following condolence motions on legislators Ramreddy Damodar Reddy and K Lakshma Reddy, speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar began zero hour, during which MLAs from BRS, BJP, AIMIM, CPI and Congress raised various issues. BRS MLA and former minister Gangula Kamalakar urged the state govt to take up construction of Telangana Bhavans in Tirumala and Sabarimala, citing accommodation problems faced by devotees from the state.BJP legislator from Kamareddy Venkatramana Reddy, urged members from all parties to avoid using unparliamentary language. Legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu said the govt and treasury benches had been running the House democratically and that it was the responsibility of all members to maintain decorum. He advised the BJP member to “walk the talk” and first set the BJP house in order.AIMIM member Jaffar Hussain said sweeping of lanes and by-lanes, lifting of garbage and streetlights functioning had worsened in the city, and urged the govt to focus on improving sanitation in the core city before planning sanitation in the expanded GHMC limits.BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy demanded creation of a ministry for the welfare of Gulf NRIs in Telangana, stating that workers from the state employed in Gulf countries were facing miserable conditions. BC welfare minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the govt was taking steps to address Gulf NRIs issues and appealed to people to go to Gulf countries for work only through govt-set up TOMCOM and not be deceived by private agents.Remarks by BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy led to an uproar in the assembly after he alleged that the Tanugula check dam was blown up with bombs, similar to the Medigadda project. Members from BRS and Congress levelled allegations against each other. Panchayat Raj minister D Seethakka said the govt had taken note of the member’s request. Congress MLA K Nagararaju urged the speaker to remove those words of Kaushik Reddy from the records.BRS member and former minister T Harish Rao urged the govt to release the pending six DAs and pay revision commission (fitment) to govt employees, saying several employees retired but their retirement benefits were not paid. Legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu said BRS had no moral right to speak on govt employees, alleging the previous BRS govt was not able to pay salaries to govt employees even up to the 20th of every month. He said the incumbent govt had set up a system through which issues of govt employees were being resolved.
