A day before the Supreme Court commences the final hearing on the Babli project, the government and the opposition declared in one voice that the project should be demolished to save Telangana.
State government's advocate Parasaran would be conveying the same message while arguing the case in the Supreme Court.
At an all-party meeting convened by major irrigation minister Peddi Sudarshan Reddy at the Secretariat here on Monday, leaders of opposition parties demanded that the state government should argue in favour of demolition of the Babli project. The government accepted the demand.
"I am proceeding to Delhi along with irrigation principal secretary on Tuesday. We will convey the message to Parasaran. He will take appropriate legal step in this direction," Sudharshan Reddy told reporters.
The state government also decided not to accept the apex court's proposal to refer the Babli case to a Tribunal.
The apex court, during the preliminary arguments, wanted the AP government to pay Rs 200 crore to Maharashtra towards its expenditure on Babli and take possession of the "controversial project".
"As Babli is in Maharashtra, even if we take possession of the project by paying the money we can't operate it. Even an all-party team will not be allowed into that state now," the minister said.
The government was ready to pay Rs 200 crore and demolish the project, but the question is whether the apex court would agree to the proposal. "There is consensus in the all-party meeting on demolition of Babli," the minister added.
Civil supplies minister D Sridhar Babu too said the government should insist on the demolition of the Babli. He said the government was giving correct inputs to the advocate to present effective arguments before the apex court.
He recalled that the state government requested the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the central government to stop Babli and 11 other projects being constructed on the Godavari river by Maharashtra.
Former CWC member R Vidyasagar Rao, TRS leader B Vinod Kumar, TDP leaders E Dayakar Rao and Mandava Venkateswara Rao, CPI leader Chada Venkata Reddy too demanded demolition of the Babli.
