SURYAPET : Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday reiterated that the Congress government was committed to protecting Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna and Godavari waters at any cost.
After inspecting the ongoing irrigation works on Krishna river in Suryapet district, the minister made it clear that there would be no compromise on the state’s water rights, which he described as essential for farmers’ prosperity and the future of Telangana.
Uttam came down heavily on the previous BRS government, holding it responsible for pushing the irrigation sector into a crisis and burdening the state with a staggering `16,000 crore in annual interest payments on irrigation loans alone.
He said the financial burden caused by the BRS mismanagement was nothing short of a sin against the people of Telangana.
The minister asserted that the Congress government, in contrast, is a true farmer-friendly administration that is working around the clock to secure justice for farmers.
Lambasting the BRS for “failing” to protect the state’s fair share of Krishna waters, he said that while the Krishna water allocation for combined AP was 811 tmcft, the previous regime accepted allocation of 512 tmc to AP, restricting Telangana’s share to just 299 tmcft.
Terming it a historical betrayal, he said it had permanently harmed the irrigation prospects of Telangana farmers.
The minister explained that the Congress government was willing to fight at any level to protect the river water rights of Telangana.
‘If required, we will wage a legal battle’
Uttam stated that the Congress government had launched an unrelenting fight to secure a just share for Telangana in Krishna and Godavari waters. “If consultations and dialogue with the Union government do not result in fair allocations, then the state would not hesitate to approach the courts and wage a legal battle,” he said while stressing that water allocations must be made considering catchment area, ayacut and population so that Telangana gets its rightful entitlement.
Referring to past project proposals, the minister said that during the Congress regime in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, a massive project named Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahitha-Chevella was proposed at Tummadihatti with an estimated cost of `38,000 crore. “But the BRS, lured by commissions and corruption, scrapped that plan and built the Kaleshwaram project at an astronomical budget of `1 lakh crore, which has now failed and turned virtually useless,” he said.
“Had the Pranahitha-Chevella project been executed at the original location, the state would have saved `62,000 crore. That money could have been used to complete other vital projects such as the SLBC, Palamuru-Rangareddy, Bhima, Nettempadu, Koilsagar, Devadula, Sita Rama and Gauravelli, which could have transformed the entire Telangana region into a fertile green belt,” he added.
Uttam went on to add that due to the previous government’s mistakes, Telangana is now suffering an annual interest burden of `16,000 crore on irrigation loans alone. “This is a colossal policy failure that will haunt the state for years to come,” he said.