NALGONDA: Tension between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over river waters continued on Tuesday with the Telangana government taking exception to its counterpart writing to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) asking it to stop Telangana from releasing water from the Srisailam reservoir for power generation and TRS activists reacting violently to the letter by ransacking and setting afire furniture in the TDP Nalgonda district office. The TDP called for Nalgonda district bandh on Wednesday protesting the attack on its office.
The letter was shot off by AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to the Krishna River Management Board urging it to direct the Telangana government to stop release of water from Srisailam as the water level was reaching dead storage level. The Telangana government is releasing water for power generation in view of the poor power supply situation in the state.
Reacting to the letter, the TRS state leadership asked its cadre to stage protests against the attitude of the TDP leadership. In Nalgonda town too, TRS activists staged dharna at clock tower and burnt an effigy of TDP Chief and AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
From there the party activists under the leadership of Dubbaka Narasimha Reddy took out a rally and as they reached the TDP district office, the activists went berserk. The attack seemed a planned one as the protestors were armed with cans of fuel which they used to set furniture in the office on fire. By the time additional forces reached the place, the office furniture was completely gutted. Police arrested a couple of TRS leaders and activists and took them to police station.
In Hyderabad, the T-TDP leaders too condemned the attack and gave a call for Nalgonda district bandh on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a tight security blanket was thrown at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal apprehending trouble from Rayalaseema farmers. However, no reports of trouble were reported.
KRMB PLEA TO TS
KRMB advised the Telangana government to ensure that the power production at Srisailam dam do not cause depletion of Krishna river water below the threshold level needed for drinking and irrigation purposes. It also suggested both TS and AP that any water release and reservoir status be intimated to it on daily basis.
Greater Hyderabad to have 172 wards
If GHMC Commissioner Somesh Kumar has his way, Greater Hyderabad will have 172 wards from the present 150. Somesh broached the delimitation issue with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao when he met him at the Secretariat on Tuesday. Agreeing to the proposal, KCR gave a green signal to GHMC to go ahead with delimitation of divisions and reservation for the purpose of elections to the civic body.