HYDERABAD: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to adopt a four-pronged strategy to defend Telangana’s interests at the Apex Council meeting convened on August 25 to discuss the river waters sharing issue with the sibling State of Andhra Pradesh.
During a review meeting on irrigation held at Pragathi Bhavan on Wednesday, the Chief Minister welcomed the decision of Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) to hold Apex Council meeting on August 25. He also decided to write a letter to the ministry, stating his acceptance to participate in the meeting.
During the review meeting, Rao also finalised the A, B, C and D strategy to be adopted by the State government at the Apex Council meeting. The four-point strategy is to attack the AP government for its illegal projects, brief the Council on the injustices done to Telangana in combined AP rule, clarify that the Telangana did not take up any new projects and all the ongoing projects were sanctioned in erstwhile AP and to defend Telangana’s interests and demand more Krishna and Godavari river waters.
Stating that the Telangana government would raise its objections on the water sharing issues during the Apex Council meeting, Rao made it clear that all the disputes and doubts expressed by the government of AP as well as Centre on the issue should be clarified and cleared during the meeting, which will be held through video conference.
No new projects were taken up in Telangana and the projects approved in the united AP were redesigned to suit to the needs of the Telangana State, he said and added that the same arguments with proofs should be placed before Council.
Rao instructed the officials to be ready with all the information and details like when the projects were sanctioned, how much money was spent on them, how much money was spent on these projects at the formation of the Telangana State, how much land was acquired and how many TMCs of water were allocated to be presented before the Council.
While emphasising the need to explain to the Council that Telangana has been executing projects in tune with the Bachawat Tribunal Award, he also decided to strongly oppose and register objections over enhancing the capacity of Pothireddypadu as well as the newly-proposed Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project of the AP government.
The Chief Minister also instructed the officials to take the AP government for task for illegally utilising water from Godavari and Krishna rivers in contravention to the Tribunal Award.