Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday called the 10-year-long reign of the previous BRS government led by K Chandrasekhar Rao in the state as one of “repression and financial indiscipline”.
She said the greatest challenge before the Congress-led present government is to improve the financial situation of the state on a war footing. She promised the new regime will provide a more people-oriented and democratically-run government.
Addressing a joint sitting of the assembly and legislative council following the change in government, Soundararajan said, “Telangana is breathing the fresh air of freedom and liberty now. Telangana is liberated from autocratic rule and dictatorial tendencies. The people’s verdict unequivocally stated that it would not tolerate any repression. This verdict became a cornerstone for civil rights and democratic rule. The iron barricades (of erstwhile Pragathi Bhavan) that divided the rulers from the people have been dismantled.”
She added that people’s governance has begun and vowed to implement all the promises made by the Congress in its manifesto before the polls.
Accusing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of leaving the state in a financial mess, the Governor said each and every department had incurred huge debts. Loans were raised indiscriminately from every corporation which pushed the state into a financial crisis. There was no fiscal discipline or attempts to maintain financial prudence, she said.
“Owing to the bad governance of the previous government the power utilities are in a deep financial crisis with a staggering debt of Rs 81,516 crore. They have incurred losses of Rs 50,275 crore. Similarly, the civil supplies corporation has Rs 56,000 crore debt and Rs 11,000 crore as losses,” the governor said in her first assembly address after the Congress government assumed power.
Although the Raj Bhavan and KCR’s regime had tussled over the Governor’s right to address both the Houses, even resulting in intervention from the High Court, the government under Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has not encountered any hitch so far.
The Governor said her government’s top most priority is public health and promised an inquiry into the corruption and irregularities committed in the construction of Annaram and Medigadda barrages of Kaleshwaram. She also said the majority of the complaints received through Praja Vani were related to land and that Dharani will be replaced by another more transparent digital system.
Soundararajan also iterated the new government’s commitment to eradicate drug menace.