HYDERABAD : In a fresh and intensified verbal attack on AP government, Telangana major irrigation minister T Harish Rao on Sunday alleged that the former was hoodwinking people by cooking up ‘false’ statistics vis-a-vis Srisailam waters.
Referring to GO 233 issued by YS Rajashekar Reddy government in 2005 in united AP, he claimed that the GO allowed the Telangana government to utilise Srisailam waters up to 834 feet.
He asked why AP government was just clinging on to GOs 107 and 69 issued in 2004, while overlooking GO 233 of 2005, making amendments to the previous GOs.
Taking a dig at AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu, irrigation minister Devineni Uma and government adviser Parakala Prabhakar in the same breath, he said, “Why don’t they talk about GO 233? The Telangana government would send these GOs to them. Parakala Prabhakar said he is not able to understand the Gos. If needed, we would also send translators to help them understand the contents of these GOs.”
Accusing the AP government of flouting guidelines of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, he recalled that TDP leaders, including AP chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had held demonstrations on Prakasam barrage opposing GO 107 in 2004.
Further, he recalled that the TRS party had walked out of the Congress government in 2005, opposing the moves of the latter regarding water share in Srisailam reservoir proving detrimental to Telangana.
“It was on the premise that the people of Telangana were deceived in over their rightful share of Srisalam reservoir water, the TRS severed its ties with the then YSR government. Has the AP government forgotten all these?” he questioned.
He alleged that Telangana has always got a raw deal in utilising Krishna waters. “In fact, Bachawat Tribunal had already pointed out that Telangana would have got more water had it remained a separate state from the beginning,” he added.
The minister said the AP government was drawing above its share of water up to 60 tmc from Srisailam reservoir, while it was only mandated to draw 34 tmc, by the AP Reorganisation Act.