HYDERABAD: BRS leader and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao on Friday said that the committee constituted by the Central government was clear evidence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s “betrayal” of Telangana’s water rights.
In a statement, Harish Rao said the absence of an Inter-State Water Resources (IS&WR) official from Telangana in the panel could undermine the state’s interests.
He pointed out that while Andhra Pradesh has two IAS officers and two engineers on the committee, Telangana is represented by three IAS officers but only one engineer. He further noted that AP had an officer with IS&WR experience on the panel, whereas Telangana has none.
The completion of water-sharing arrangements between the two states by the committee within three months would effectively amount to granting approval to the Nallamala Sagar project within the same period, Harish Rao alleged.
The BRS leader claimed that the path for AP’s Nallamala Sagar project has been cleared due to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s attitude, branding him the “number one villain” responsible for damaging Telangana’s water interests.
Harish Rao further alleged that AP awarded the Polavaram–Nallamala Sagar project tender to IIC Technology Private Limited on the same day the Centre constituted the committee. He recalled that the BRS was the first to identify the Banakacherla issue and alert the government, but despite repeated warnings, the present government failed to take appropriate action.