
HYDERABAD: Dismissing the claims made by former minister T Harish Rao on Krishna waters, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the state suffered heavily in river water sharing under the 10-year rule of BRS.
In a statement issued here on Friday, Uttam said that the BRS leaders who rendered injustice to Telangana were claiming credit for the same now.
It was the Congress which fought for the rightful share of river waters, the Irrigation minister said and alleged that the BRS failed miserably in getting the fair share in river waters for Telangana. “The BRS government signed an agreement with the government of Andhra Pradesh in 2015 to use only 299 tmcft water in Krishna river and mortgaged the interests of the state,” he said.
The agreement signed by the BRS rendered gross injustice to the state, the minister added.
Uttam also recalled that the Congress government released a white paper in the Assembly on the failures of BRS, which agreed to give 70 per cent water share in Krishna to Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress exerted pressure on the Centre to allocate fair share in Krishna waters to Telangana, he said.
‘Farmers suffered under BRS’
After Congress highlighted its failures, the BRS brought Section 3 issue to the fore, the minister alleged. “The BRS was the main culprit in rendering injustice to the state,” he added.
“The BRS regime even remained a mute spectator when the farmers suffered a lot in Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and Khammam districts. The Pothireddypadu head regulator capacity was increased by 44,000 cusecs by Andhra Pradesh, when BRS was in power,” he pointed out.
Without obtaining the permission of Apex Council and Krishna River Management Board, AP accorded administrative approval for an amount of Rs 6,829.15 crore for expanding the Pothireddypadu to increase the drawing capacity to 80,000 cusecs. Despite this, the BRS government did not take any action, he said. “The then CM KCR did not attend the Apex Council meeting till the AP government completed the tender process of Rayalseema Lift Irrigation Scheme,” Uttam alleged.
“KCR even suggested the AP to take Godavari waters to Rayalaseema. Where was Harish Rao when AP was diverting water through Pothireddypadu illegally,” he asked.
“When AP got the approval for the construction of Polavaram project, Telangana had to get 45 tmcft additional water in Krishna river. But, the BRS government did not fight for this in its 10-year rule,” he added.