HYDERABAD: Taking a serious exception to the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to construct a lift irrigation scheme upstream of Pothireddypadu Head Regulator to draw water from Srisailam Project, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday asked the officials to lodge a strong protest with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
The Chief Minister, at a review on irrigation projects held at Pragati Bhavan here, grew angry with AP for unilaterally going ahead with the project, which hurts the interests of the Telangana State. “The project is against the provisions of the AP State Reorganisation Act, 2014,” the Chief Minister said and pointed out that he would fight legally till the end, to stall the project.
This is the first time that the Telangana government has come out openly against AP after YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took over as CM of the sibling state in 2019. In fact, a spirit of camaraderie had prevailed for a long time between the two CMs.
At Monday’s review meeting, Chandrasekhar Rao felt that the AP government has committed a grave mistake by not consulting Telangana since both the states had right over Srisailam waters and on top of it, AP went ahead without obtaining the approval of the apex committee. “I will do my best to stall the project,” Rao said.
The new project has been designed to lift 3 tmc ft of water and even a GO was issued to this effect. “If any project is taken up either in Telangana or Andhra, it is mandatory that the State concerned should get approval from the apex committee. The water in Srisailam project belongs to both the states, but AP is going ahead unilaterally,” Chandrasekhar Rao said, adding: “If AP diverts Krishna water, erstwhile districts of Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and Rangareddy would face irrigation and drinking water problems.”
He recalled Telangana making a friendly gesture to AP to set aside the differences over sharing of river waters and to work together keeping in mind the interests of the farmers. He also asked the officials to move the Supreme Court for justice since inordinate delay was taking place in deciding Telangana’s share of Krishna waters in Brijesh Kumar Tribunal.