HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday asserted that the state government would wage an “uncompromising and effective battle” to secure Telangana’s rightful share in Krishna and Godavari river waters.
He inspected the R-9 Lift Irrigation Scheme in Suryapet district. Speaking on the occasion, Uttam said that the Congress government would protect the interests of Telangana farmers before every competent forum, including the river water tribunals and the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).
“We will fight effectively to ensure justice to Telangana in the allocation of Krishna and Godavari waters. Be it before the tribunals, the KRMB or any other forum, there will be no compromise when it comes to Telangana’s rightful share of river waters,” he said.
The minister said that the Congress government was managing irrigation systems and electricity requirements for agriculture efficiently and was committed to ensuring that every available drop of water was put to productive use.
He cited the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and other such projects as “examples of several schemes left incomplete despite huge expenditure during the BRS regime”.
Referring to the Kaleshwaram project, Uttam said that the people had already seen what had happened to the much-publicised project. “Thousands of crores of rupees had been spent on different irrigation schemes without delivering the corresponding ayacut benefits promised to farmers. Despite huge expenditure on the SRSP system and several pending projects, the BRS failed to provide intended irrigation benefits to the farmers,” he said.
The minister further said that the Congress government’s approach would be fundamentally different, with emphasis on completing pending
projects, creating actual ayacut, ensuring efficient utilisation of water and power, and protecting Telangana’s river-water entitlements.
Uttam said that irrigation projects should ultimately be judged by the water delivered to farmers and the acreage brought under assured irrigation rather than merely by the amount of money spent on them.
