BJP's Bandi Sanjay challenges KC Rao for debate on TRS's Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme
TELANGANA: Alleging that the State government has deliberately sacrificed the interests of the people of Palamuru region to benefit the Andhra Pradesh government with respect to irrigation projects, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay has challenged Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao for a debate on injustice done to the region due to failure of the TRS government.
In an open letter addressed to the chief minister during the third day of his padayatra in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Saturday, Sanjay has stated that while the State government was playing mute spectator to AP government’s swift moves to complete Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme which would draw 6-8 TMC Krishna waters every day from Srisailam Project, it was BJP which persistently brought the issue to the Centre’s notice.
“It was after I had written to the Centre, that the Apex Council had ordered through the Krishna River Management Board, asking the AP government to stall the project. Even when the AP government kept constructing the project illegally, you had not written a letter to the Centre, but I had represented the issue to the Jal Shakti Ministry. When the Apex council meeting was organized on August 5, 2020 to discuss the issue, the State government requested postponement of the meeting to August 20, saying you were too busy to attend."
"Is it not true that you indirectly helped the AP government to get all the works sanctioned for the project before August 15,” he questioned the chief minister, also pointing-out that 90 per cent of works for the project were already completed.
Sanjay also accused the State government of surrendering the interests of Telangana to AP, by claiming a share of only 299 TMC from the Krishna River for Telangana, out of 811 TMC which Bachawat Tribunal had ordered to be utilised in the erstwhile AP.
“Though 68.5 per cent of the catchment area of Krishna Basin lies in Telangana, which means we were supposed to get the maximum share of 555 TMC, you have repeatedly submitted to the Centre and the KRMB that Telangana’s share is only 299 TMC. This proves that you have failed to protect the irrigation interests of Telangana, and especially Palamuru region,” he stated.
Reminding the chief minister about Rajobanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) which was one of the principal issues during the Telangana movement, Sanjay has said that though erstwhile Mahabubnagar district was supposed to receive 15.9 TMC from it, even eight years after the formation of Telangana, not even 5 TMC were being utilised by the State government.
Accusing the State government of placing projects like Nettempadu, Kalwakurthy, Bhima and Koilsagar lift irrigation schemes which were completed by the Congress government into its kitty, Sanjay has demanded the chief minister to complete these projects so that full utilisation of these projects could benefit the farmers in the last mile ayacut areas.
Rubbishing the claims being made by the chief minister about migration has stopped in Palamuru region because of the expansion of irrigation facilities, Sanjay has implored the chief minister to come and see for himself where all the migrant workers from Palamuru region were going.