HYDERABAD: Alleging that the State government has deliberately sacrificed the interests of the people of Palamuru to benefit the Andhra Pradesh government with regard to irrigation projects, BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar challenged Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for a debate on injustice done to the region. In an open letter addressed to the Chief Minister on the third day of his padayatra in Jogulamba Gadwal district on Saturday, Sanjay stated that the State government was a “mute spectator” to the AP government’s swift moves to complete Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme. This would lead to the drawal of 6-8 tmc feet of Krishna water every day from Srisailam project and it was the BJP which had persistently brought the issue to the Centre’s notice.
“It was after I had written to the Centre, that the Apex Council 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 did not approach the Centre. I represented the issue to the Jal Shakti Ministry.
When the Apex Council meeting was organised 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 get all the works sanctioned for the project before August 15,” Sanjay questioned the Chief Minister, also pointing out that 90 per cent works of 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 tmcft from the Krishna river for Telangana, out of 811 tmcft which Bachawat Tribunal had ordered to be utilised in erstwhile AP.
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 the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district was supposed to receive 15.9 tmcft from it, not even 5 tmcft were being utilised even eight years after the formation of Telangana.
Accusing the State government of cleverly transferring projects like Nettempadu, Kalwakurthy, Bhima and Koilsagar lift irrigation schemes which were completed by the Congress government into its kitty, Sanjay asked KCR to complete these projects so farmers could benefit.