VIJAYAWADA: The Tax Payers’ Association (TPA), Vijayawada, has lambasted the TDP government for its proposal to introduce ‘NTR Sujala Sravanthi’ alleging that it is a move to corporatise drinking water supply.
In a letter to chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu Wednesday, TPA president V Sambi Reddy said, “Air, which every human requires, is available free of cost. Similarly, water should also be supplied for free. As much as 400 TMC Krishna river water is being let into the sea. The government should try to build check-dams and store water rather than selling it if they are sincere about development,” he said.
He said a check-dam of 5 TMC or 10 TMC capacity could cater to the annual water requirement of the people in and around Vijayawada. “If the government focuses on water storage rather than spending on NTR Sujala scheme, a lot of people would benefit,” he added. Secretary of the Association MV Anjaneyulu said that the government should concentrate on efficiently utilising the surface water and storage of water instead of introducing new schemes. Stating that 3,000 TMC water from the Godavari and 400-800 TMC water from the Krishna is being let into the sea, Anjaneyulu said the floodwater should be diverted into the lakes wherever possible. “We can solve 70-80 per cent of water problems if the government constructs as many lakes as possible,” he said. Vellanki Prasad, secretary of the Pensioners’ Association, V S Rama Raju and other members of TPA were present.