HYDERABAD: Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) working president and IT Minister KT Rama Rao on Sunday asserted that the State government will not compromise on Telangana's right to its legitimate share of the Krishna waters.
To substantiate his claim, Rama Rao recalled that the State government had already filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court to restrain Andhra Pradesh (AP) from calling for tenders to execute the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) on the backwaters of the Srisailam Project.
The purpose of the RLIS is to augment the supply of the Krishna water to Rayalseema through the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator.
Admitting that the government was soft on AP Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Rama Rao, however, maintained that it would not be at the cost of Telangana's interests.
"We have good relations with Andhra Pradesh. However, there would be no compromise when it comes to the rights of the State," he said.
Rama Rao, fielding a volley of questions from netizens on Twitter with hashtag #AskKTR, prevaricated when a question on Telangana's contribution to the Ram Mandir construction came up. He merely said:
"We will pray and hope for Ram Rajya where people of all faiths, castes and classes will be respected and treated equally as enshrined in the Constitution of our great country".
The Minister appeared more comfortable answering questions on the havoc being caused by Covid-19 in Telangana and the steps taken by the government in keeping on the leash corporate hospitals which are fleecing patients.
"If needed, more stringent measures would be taken," he said.
Rama Rao dismissed as baseless the allegations of underreporting of cases. He urged the people to understand that government hospitals are providing good healthcare and emphasised. On the work to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, Rama Rao hoped that Hyderbad will come up with one but it may take another nine months.
He also said over 23,000 tests are being conducted per day. The number is expected to cross 40,000 in the next few days. About the resumption of public transport, Rama Rao said TS is waiting for the Centre’s approval to resume city bus, MMTS and Metro rail services. Also, the foundation stone for the aerospace park will be laid soon, he said.