Congress Alleges KCR Helping AP Steal Krishna Waters

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was directly helping Andhra Pradesh complete the expansion of the Pothyreddypadu Head Regulator and start its new Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme which would deprive Telangana of 6.3 TMC of Krishna waters per day.

Reddy was addressing a press conference through Zoom. Congress Legislature Party leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC Secretaries A Sampath Kumar and Vamshichand Reddy, and TPCC Krishna Nadi Parirakshana Samithi Convener Rammohan Reddy were also present.

Reddy said that the two projects being pursued by the AP government would badly hit the farmers of south Telangana and the drinking water supply in Hyderabad.

He said that Andhra Pradesh had already called for tenders for the construction of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme with a capacity to draw about 3 TMC per day and enhance the diversion capacity at the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator to more than 80,000 cusecs. These would result in Telangana losing 6.3 TMC of water every day, he claimed.

"Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's government has spent over Rs 1 lakh crore which was borrowed from banks and other financial institutions at huge interest rates, to construct the Kaleshwaram project to draw just 2 TMC of water. The project also involves an additional annual cost of nearly Rs 12,000 crore towards interest on loans, electricity, maintenance, manpower etc. KCR mortgaged the future of Telangana by taking up this project. However, he is totally silent over losing to Andhra Pradesh 6.3 TMC of Krishna river waters which are coming to the State free of cost through just gravity," he said.

Reddy alleged that AP CM Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and KCR were good friends, and that the latter had even funded the YSR Congress Party in the last Assembly elections. KCR and Jagan interacted very frequently and had met several times in the past. "KCR's silence therefore raises serious suspicions of a secret deal. KCR must answer why he is helping the AP government take away Telangana's share of the Krishna waters. There will be serious consequences if AP goes ahead with its plans. Undivided Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and many parts of Ranga Reddy district will go dry, and Hyderabad will face a severe shortage of drinking water," he said.

The TPCC chief pointed out that KCR had objected to the meeting of the Apex Council scheduled to be held on August 5 on the grounds that he had a Cabinet meeting that day. Referring to a letter written by the Union Ministry for Water Resources, he said that the ministry had proposed the meeting through a video-conference at any time convenient to KCR to discuss the Pothyreddypadu and RLIS issues. However, KCR wanted this meeting to be postponed to after August 20.

"The Chief Minister has time to discuss the design of a new Secretariat building on which he is wasting over Rs 400 crore of public money just to satisfy his false prestige. But he had no time to protect the interests of Telangana's farmers," he said. "Why did KCR did not prepone the cabinet meeting to August 4th or postpone it August 6th so as to facilitate the meeting of the Apex Council on 5th August? He deliberately got the meeting postponed to help the AP government complete the tender process for both the projects. Should we act before the tender process or wait for the completion of the entire process?"

Referring to the Special Leave Petition filed by the Telangana government in the Supreme Court, Reddy alleged that KCR was trying to create new complications to help the AP government expand the Pothyreddypadu Head Regulator and construct the RLIS.

"This is a straight fight between the AP and TS governments, and our intention should be to stop Andhra Pradesh from taking away 6.3 TMC of Krishna waters. However, the Telangana government, in its Special Leave Petition, has made the Karnataka government the first respondent, the Maharashtra government the second respondent and the Andhra Pradesh government the third respondent. This is nothing but a dilution of the main issue and diversion of attention from AP's new projects. This was done deliberately so as to delay the legal process, which will help the AP government complete both the projects as per their schedule," he alleged.

"We will expose KCR. I will implead myself in the case in the Supreme Court. The Congress will protect the interest of the farmers of south Telangana. KCR must resign if AP succeeds in constructing the new projects," he demanded.