HYDERABAD: Replying to the discussion on the demand for grants in Budget 2023-24 on behalf of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Saturday said that the Centre has been delaying a decision on Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna waters for the last nine years, thus violating the Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 (IRWD Act).
Responding to a question by CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on the State government’s initiatives to protect the interests of Telangana with regard to interstate water disputes, Harish said that the Centre should address the issue or refer to a tribunal under Section 3 of the IRWD Act.
“Even 16 months after the State government withdrew a case in the Supreme Court on October 6, 2021, the Centre is yet to take a decision. Telangana is suffering due to the BJP-led Union government’s adamant and partisan attitude with regard to the water allocations. Forget about granting national project status to one of the projects in Telangana, they are not even giving us our rightful share,” Harish said. He rebuked BJP MLAs for not being present in the house when he spoke on the issues raised by Dubbaka MLA M Raghunandan Rao.“Look at the sincerity of BJP MLAs. They went to participate in galli (corner) meetings to carry out their Goebbels propaganda,” he said.
Kaleshwaram repair works in warranty
Responding to the concern raised by Vikramarka, Harish said that the recent repair works were caused due to the submergence of multiple pump houses of the Kaleshwaram LIS. He made it clear that all the repair works were undertaken by the agency as covered by warranty.
“Telangana government has not spent even a single paisa on the repair works in the Kaleshwaram project. The pump houses were submerged as the State witnessed heavy floods caused by incessant rains,” Harish said. He added that the Congress MLAs were stopped from visiting the project as there were repair works going on at that point of time.
‘Controls on pvt hospitals’
Stating that currently there was no control on the functioning of private hospitals, Harish said that the government will bring the required provisions under the Clinical Establishment Act. He said that the objective of the government is to prevent the poor from visiting private hospitals for healthcare by providing corporate hospital-like treatment in the government sector.
Harish urges Governor to clear pending Bills
Harish Rao requested Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to take a decision on the eight Bills pending with her. He said that the pende-ncy impacts crucial recruitments to teaching posts in universities.