AP’s disastrous irrigation schemes slow down మంగళవారం, నవం 3 2009 

Adivasis and Corruption and Dams and Ecology and Godavari and Jalayagnam and Polavaram and Politics and Telangana mbbhushan 2:06 అపరాహ్నం

Jalayagnam comes to a virtual halt

NM Satheesh  Indian Express 3 Nov 2009

HYDERABAD: Jalayagnam, the favourite scheme of former chief minister the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, seems to have slided down in the list of priorities of the present government.

Leave alone the progress of the programme at the field level, even a review of it by the government has become rare in the last two months.

According to sources in the irrigation department, funding of the programme has come to a halt and the pending bills are piling up with the government.

It seems that the government is not going to spend the allocated budget Rs 18,000 crore in this financial year. The government has not released even Rs 1,000 crore for the projects in the last two months. It was decided by the regime of Rajasekhara Reddy that the government should release about Rs 1,400 crore every month to keep the projects going.

According to officials, the government has already halted payment of Rs 4,000 crore which was spent by the contractors and the construction of projects like Pulichintala which has been completed to an extent of 70 per cent is not progressing as per the schedule.

Irrigation officials say that the time table fixed by the government for the completion of 82 major and medium irrigation projects under Jalayagnam will go awry.

The YSR government had contemplated Jalayagnam to bring about one crore acres of land under irrigation facility. Under the scheme 82 projects are to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.50 lakh crore. (ఇంకా…)

 

Jai Telangana మంగళవారం, అక్టో 6 2009 

Hyderabad and Politics and Telangana mbbhushan 12:02 పూర్వాహ్నం

BOOK WATCH
By Anita Joshua

Jai Telangana

Telangana: The State of Affairs, M. Bharath Bhushan and N. Venugopal, AdEd Value Ventures, Rs. 250.

Telangana book

Ever a festering issue in Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana question assumed national significance after a three-decade hiatus since the Jai Telangana Movement in the wake of the 2004 electoral alliance between the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi.

Sensing the widespread ignorance outside the State about the Telangana issue, M. Bharath Bhushan and N. Venugopal have sought to explain the rationale for the demand for separate Statehood in this collection of research articles on the region and literature from the area. Through these varied approaches, the attempt is to explain the reasons for the sense of alienation felt by the people of Telangana; traced in a 1969 vintage article by Duncan B. Forrester to the region being under Nizam’s rule for 200 years, cut away from the “rest of the Telugu country”.

Given that Telangana has become a major election issue in the State, the book examines whether polls foster separatism and uses government data to show how the region is lagging behind the coastal and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh to make out a case for a separate identity. Also thrown in are two short stories in translation — the delightful “Golla Ramavva” by former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and “Bhoomi” by the doyen of Telugu short stories, Allam Rajayya.

Source: Literary Review, The Hindu, Oct 4, 2009 http://www.hindu.com/lr/2009/10/04/stories/2009100450060200.htm

 

Heroes of Elections 2009 – Mary Francis fights displacement సోమవారం, ఏప్రి 6 2009 

Appeals and Politics mbbhushan 3:48 అపరాహ్నం

A housewife’s crusade

K.P.M. Basheer

 

mary-francis

PARTY: Independent

 

CONSTITUENCY: Ernakulam

 

STATE: Kerala

 

MISSION STATEMENT: I want this antiquated, inhuman law [Land Acquisition Act of 1894] overhauled. I don’t want anyone else to suffer the way I have.

 

Mary Francis knows pretty well that hers is a losing battle. But the 60-year-old housewife is standing to draw attention to what she sees as a life-and-death issue for thousands of people from Nandigram to the Narmada Valley — displacement in the name of development. Ms. Francis understands their pain well.

 

In February last year, her home and the carpentry workshop run by her husband on a quarter of an acre property on the tiny emerald island of Moolampally in the Kochi backwaters were demolished. The bulldozers, sent out by the Ernakulam district administration, were making way for a road to the Vallarpadam project — a Rs. 3,000-crore international container transhipment terminal of the Cochin Port Trust being constructed by India Gateway Terminals Limited on a build-operate-transfer basis. (ఇంకా…)

 

అవును ఓడిపోయిన… బుధవారం, Feb 18 2009 

Politics and Telugu (తెలుగు) mbbhushan 5:27 అపరాహ్నం

 

అవును ఓడిపోయిన
ఆడీ ఆడీ ఓడిపోయిన…
జనం ‘ప్రభంజన’మౌతారనే
ఆశ అడుగంటి ‘అలిసిపోయిన’…
తోటిమనిషి బాగుకోరే మనసు
మాయమైన జాడలు తెలుసుకొని
‘లొంగిపోయిన’…
ఎవని కొరకు ఎవడూ
బతుకలేడని అర్థమైనంక
‘ఎవ్వనికి బుట్టిన బిడ్డంటే ఎక్కిపడి
ఏడ్సుడెందుక’ని ఎనకకు తగ్గిన…
పిట్టలకంటే అధ్వానంగా
మనుషులు సచ్చిపడుతుంటే
శవాల సంఖ్య తెలుసుకోవడానికి మాత్రమే
‘తపన’పడే మధ్య తరగతి
మందబుద్దికి మోకరిల్లిన..
కడుపుతీపి పంచలేక..
కడుపుకోత తుంచలేక..
అమ్మయ్యలాగమైతాంటే..
ఆగి..ఆగి..
ఆగ ‘మైదా(నా)ని’ కొచ్చిన..
జీవితమే ఆరాటమైనపుడు
బువ్వ దొరుకుడే పోరాటమైనపుడు
ప్రజాజీవనమే అరణ్యవాసమైనపుడు
సాటి మనిషే వర్గశత్రువై
సాయిధపోరాటం చేయవలిసినపుడు
పురుగుమందులు
నేతగుడ్డలే
ఎన్ కౌంటర్లు చేస్తున్నపుడు…
ఎలుగెత్తే గొంతులే పాలకుల
కౌలుగుల్లో జొరబడుతున్నపుడు
ఆపదకు అక్కరకు రావల్సిన
చేతులే ఔతలకెల్లగొడుతున్నపడు
‘ఊరికి చేసిన సేవ
శవానికి చేసిన సింగారమై’నపుడు
అడివెందుకు? నేల మాళిగలెందుకు?
ఏ.కే ఫార్టీ సెవెన్లెందుకు?
‘జీవం’ పోయిన శరీరంతో
పోరాడలేక ‘జనజీవనం’లో కొచ్చిన
అవును ఓడిపోయిన…
ఆడీ ఆడీ ఓడిపోయిన…

 
– రమేశ్ హజారి
ప్రోగ్రెసివ్ మీడియా సెంటర్ ,హైదరాబాద్

ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి 18 ఫిబ్రవరి 2009

 

People’s agenda wins Telangana byelections మంగళవారం, జూన్ 3 2008 

Ecology and Lambada and Mahabubnagar and Politics and Telangana mbbhushan 4:48 అపరాహ్నం

Polepally protesters sway poll outcome

P. Sainath

 

The farmers contesting the Jadcherla seat helped to defeat the sitting MLA.

— Photo: P. Sainath

The Jadcherla 13, of whom eight are seen in the picture, succeeded in lowering the votes of the main parties

 

They made history by standing as 13 independent candidates fighting the same Assembly seat but contesting for, not against, one another. They did it again on Sunday — by helping defeat the sitting Telangana Rashtra Samithi MLA, even as every one of them lost his or her own security deposit.

The 13 farmers contesting the Jadcherla seat in Telangana — who lost their lands to the Polepally Pharma Special Economic Zone — together drew a total of over 8,000 votes. That is, four times Congress candidate Mallu Ravi’s victory margin over the Telugu Desam Party’s Erra Sekhar.

The effort of these mainly Dalit, backward caste and Adivasi farmers — a protest to draw attention to their loss of land — torpedoed the sitting TRS MLA, Lakshma Reddy. He drew less than 21,000 votes and came third. Both his Congress and TDP rivals drew more than twice that number each.

As many as 350 families have lost all their land — some 969 acres — to the Pharma SEZ (The Hindu, May 26, 2008). But even if these families had three votes each, the Jadcherla 13 drew several times that number in sympathy. That is, there is clear evidence of a much wider sympathy for them. Not only did they lose their land, they got no compensation beyond a pittance per acre.

The land acquired by the government for the SEZ is adjacent to the national highway. It is also not far from the Shamshabad airport. Land rates in the region are thus well above Rs.20 lakh per acre. Often even higher than that. But the displaced farmers got sums ranging from Rs.18,000 to Rs.50,000 an acre, way below the prevailing market rates. (ఇంకా…)

 

Struggle against farmers’ deaths – Polepalli SEZ ఆదివారం, మే 25 2008 

Ecology and Mahabubnagar and Politics and Telangana and Telugu (తెలుగు) mbbhushan 8:11 అపరాహ్నం

 

Rejoice the death of Telangana farmers in Polepalli

 

Let’s hug deep the rose thorns

and play holi in courtyard of dora’s gadi

for the lips that got sealed tight over Pothireddypadu dam

 

Let’s sing till throats slit in praise of

their courage for waving rose colored flag

in honor of those who sold away Telangana lands

 

Lets lick armpits and felicitate sacrifices of those

who butchered at the village bodrai

farmer’s umbilical cord with the land 

 

Why think of whatever happens to anybody

isn’t Telangana that is all we need after all?

And……..

bury each other in our asses as there is no land left for a graveyard

Long live Telangana

 

 

Expression in words of Polepalli SEZ farmers’ anger 

 

by – Madhu Kagula

Mahbubnagar District Convenor, Telangana Aikya Karyacharana Committee

translated by – M Bharath Bhushan

PS: rose thorns, rose flag, dora gadi and bodrai refer to specific Polepalli SEZ context where TRS MLA is actively supporting the SEZ . otherwise it is like SEZ elsewhere. rose color refers to the flag of TRS party  

 

………………………………………..

మధు కాగుల

 

 

పోతిరెడ్డిపాడుపై పెదవి విప్పని
గులాబి ముళ్ళని కౌగిలించుకుని
దొరల గడిల ముంగల హోళీ ఆడుదాం

తెలంగాణ భూముల్ని తెగనమ్మినోనికి
గులాబి జెండానూపి దారిచూపినోని నమ్మకానికి
గొంతులు తెగేదాక పాటపాడుదాం
 
వూరి బొడ్రాయి దగ్గెర ఖడ్గంతో
రైతుకు భూమికి వున్న పేగుభంధాన్ని తెగనరికినోని
త్యాగానికి సన్మానం చేసి సంకనాకుదాం

ఎవడేమైతే మన్కేమి?
తెలంగాణ వస్తె చాలు
ఫిరు……….
పాతిపెట్టుకోటానికి జాగలేక
ఒకని ముడ్ల ఒకన్ని బొందపెట్టుకొందాం

జై తెలఅంగాణ

“పోలెపల్లి రైతుల ఆక్రోషానికి అక్షర రూపం”
 
మీ
మధు కాగుల
జిల్లా కన్వీనరు
తెలంగాణ ఐక్య కార్యాచరణ కమిటి
మహబూబ నగరు (ఇంకా…)

 

The Electoral Battle in Telangana – Politics of Failed Promises మంగళవారం, అక్టో 10 2006 

Articles and English and Politics and Telangana mbbhushan 10:27 పూర్వాహ్నం

-M Bharath Bhushan & E Revathi

There is much talk of the bye elections and Telangana. Each party claims to be sure of successfully winning the seat or defeating the enemy. People wonder what they have to gain by giving once again the evidence of their concern. What would Sita have done if she was called to undergo the test of fire second time?

Telangana is a hot commodity. Every party wants a share in it and plans for mileage out of it. It is gaining greater currency and sooner or later the state is imminent, if the signals of changing times are any sign of the things to come. It may take another two years or more when elections come again for the entire state.
(ఇంకా…)