KCR Asks Centre To Postpone Gazette Notification On Water Issues

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao today urged that the Centre postpone the gazette notification that it had issued on the Krishna and Godavari water issues between the two Telugu states.

The Chief Minister during his visit to New Delhi today met with the Union Jal Shakthi Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for over 40 minutes at the latter's residence.

During the meeting he gave a memorandum and submitted details of the projects to the minister, and asked for justice to Telangana.

The Chief Minister opposed the gazette notification for its giving the Krishna and the Godavari boards purview of all the projects along the respective rivers.

Only joint projects could be under the purview of the boards, he reportedly said. There were some projects taken up before the bifurcation, and new ones taken up after that, and the gazette notification could include only the previous projects and not those which were started after the bifurcation, he is said to have insisted, and to have asked that the Centre take necessary action in this regard.

KCR is also said to have urged the union minister for his intervention to stop the "illegal" construction of irrigation projects in Andhra Pradesh. These projects would result in losses for Telangana and should be stalled by the Centre, he reportedly said.

He also reportedly said that the Rayalaseema lift irrigation project should be stopped to protect the Palamur-Ranga Reddy project, and urged the union minister to give final sanction to complete the latter project.

The CM was accompanied by legislators representing erstwhile the Mahabubnagar district - C Laxma Reddy, Rajender Reddy and Ala Venkateshwar Reddy.

On September 26, KCR will attend a meeting of CMs of Naxalite-infested states called for by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at Vignan Bhavan.

He is expected to return to Hyderabad the same evening.