Jagan boycotts public hearing on UCIL's Kadapa project

                                                                          
YSR Congress Party president and Kadapa Member of Parliament Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy dared the director of Uranium Corporation of India's (UCIL) Thummalapalle project, Behl, and other officials on Saturday to resolve the problems of farmers.
Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy them with being indifferent to the problems of the displaced.

The MP walked out of the meeting after giving a warning that a public hearing would not be allowed for establishing a second uranium mining unit until promises given to displaced farmers were kept. Other members of the grievance committee too announced boycott of the meeting and walked out along with the MP. Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy alleged that police were registering cases if the aggrieved farmers protested demanding fulfilment of promises. He alleged that an “emergency-like situation” was prevalent in Pulivendula constituency.

Expressing ire at the UCIL officials in a grievance committee meeting convened at the Roads and Buildings guest house in Pulivendula, he questioned Mr. Behl and the UCIL officials on convening the meeting with 42 members on establishment of a second uranium mining unit without disbursing ex-gratia to the kin of deceased workers and giving jobs to the displaced persons. Irked by the stoic silence maintained by the UCIL officials,

The YSR Congress leader declared that he would launch a movement against the second uranium mining unit until the issues such as compensation payment and employment to the kin of displaced farmers and villagers were settled. No alternative arrangements were made to overcome the problem of rapid depletion of groundwater and water pollution caused by the plant, he lamented. Telugu Desam Party MLC S.V. Satish Kumar Reddy alleged that the problems were not resolved during YSR's rule, but Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy was raising a hue and cry now. Congress MLC C. Narayana Reddy participated.

Earlier, Mr. Jaganmohan Reddy elicited problems during an interaction with party functionaries and people in his residence at Pulivendula. In the evening, he unveiled two statues of his father and former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy put up by YSR Congress Party members at Vempalle in Pulivendula segment.