Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday demanded that the state government take an-all party delegation to New Delhi to mount pressure on centre and also file an appeal against what it termed the unjust
verdict awarded by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal over the sharing of the waters from river Krishna.
The TDP's demand came after a party meeting held at NTR Trust Bhavan to review the implications of the Tribunal's order on the sharing of Krishna river waters.
Emerging out of the meeting, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu said the party would intensify its fight to protect the state's interests, particularly farmers.
Naidu said the tribunal had accorded permission to Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam from 519 to 524 metres, and that this would spell doom for farmers in Krishna delta and turn the area into a desert.
The former chief minister pointed out that the TDP regime had effectively checked Karnataka's attempts to raise the height of Almatti dam during its tenure. He lambasted the Congress for what he said were its failures to protect the state farmers' interests.
At a separate press briefing, Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi said the state had suffered a major loss due to the tribunal's verdict, and blamed the TDP party for the crisis. He said the problem had cropped up in the first place due to wrong policies adopted during the TDP tenure.
Bharatiya Janata Party state president Kishen Reddy demanded that the government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal verdict in detail.
He said the verdict would jeopardise the interests of farmers in the Krishna Delta and derail the irrigation projects yet to be constructed on Krishna River.
Meanwhile, the state government on Friday expressed displeasure over the verdict. Revenue minister Raghuveera Reddy said the government would consult all irrigation experts, engineers and lawyers before taking any decision on filing a petition on the verdict.
Former minister J C Diwakar Reddy demanded that the government file an appeal before the tribunal, seeking redressal of injustice.
Major irrigation minister P Sudarshan Reddy said the government would file an appeal before the tribunal in 3 months and seek clarifications.
Meanwhile, Krishna Delta Protection Committee, expressing concern over the verdict, urged the state government to appeal against the verdict.
The committee said the verdict would pose doubts for farmers, over the second crop in the Krishna delta.
Courtesy: INN