For the first time in many months, all political parties in the state spoke in a single voice when they resolved to request the prime minister Manmohan Singh to find a permanent solution to the water-sharing disputes with Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The unanimous decision to ask the PM to find an appropriate and permanent solution to the disputes came at the all-party meeting convened by chief minister K Rosaiah at the state secretariat on Friday.
The leaders who attended the meeting - including Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah, former PCC president Narsa Reddy, Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi, Bharatiya Janata Party state unit president G Kishen Reddy, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri, Telangana Rashtra Samithi’s Vinod Kumar, Communist Party of India secretary K Narayana, Lok Satta Party president Jayaprakash Narayan, and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Julakanti Rangareddy - said that the state is being deprived of its rightful share of river waters since it is lower riparian.
The leaders said that the upper riparian states, Maharashtra and Karnataka, are constructing irrigation projects on rivers Godavari and Krishna and thus putting the livelihoods of lakhs of farmers in Andhra Pradesh at risk.
The leaders also charged the upper riparian states of carrying on with the construction of projects illegally and without clearances from either the Central Water Commission of from the Government on India and also in violation of Supreme Court orders.
The leaders stated in the resolution that "the prime minister should take the issue seriously and find an appropriate, quick and permanent solution to the problem".
As reported earlier, the Telugu Desam Party
walked out of the all party meeting after only one of the 4 members it sent was allowed to attend.
The TDP, however, submitted a list of suggestions to be included in the agenda to be put before the PM.
Courtesy: INN