VIJAYAWADA: A day after Andhra Pradesh police had a stand-off with their Telangana counterparts over the release of river Krishna waters, water resources minister Ambati Rambabu on Friday said the act of the State irrigation officials assisted by the police is a legitimate one.
"To call it an invasion on Nagarjuna Sagar Project is wrong," he said.
The police deployment will continue till negotiations between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over water are completed, and a concrete decision is taken. Besides police personnel, the Andhra Pradesh government has also set up check-posts near the dam.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Rambabu said the Nagarjuna Sagar Project and Srisailam projects are inter-state projects and water is shared between the two States as per the AP Reorganisation Act.
"The fact is that only half of the dam comes under the control of Telangana but the neighbouring State has occupied the entire project. The previous government maintained a stoic silence over the occupation by Telangana but we are not going to stay calm," Rambabu said.
He added that Telangana had not even allowed us to draw our rightful share of water during the previous government's tenure. Rambabu condemned the reports in the media that the AP Police had invaded the NSP.
Asked whether there was any political motive behind the act on a day when elections
were being held in Telangana, Rambabu dismissed the same.