Jagan urged to take suggestions from irrigation experts, intellectuals

Vijayawada: AP Intellectuals Forum president Chalasani Srinivas said that the State government should take suggestions from experts and intellectuals before finalising plans to take up new projects to shift the Godavari water.

Speaking to the mediapersons here on Saturday, he said that the Chief Minister should protect the interests of the State first. He said that the State government should complete the construction of Polavaram Project on priority basis. The State would not be able to cultivate even the first crop if the Polavaram Project is not completed, he added.

Reacting on the joint plans of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Godavari water diversion, he asked the State government as to how the hundreds of kilometers of tunnel, works could be completed as part of the project where already the government failed to complete 42 kilometres tunnel work under Veligonda project.

The AP Chief Minister may not intend to do harm to the State but no one is there to give suggestions to him on irrigation sector, he said.

Chalasani Srinivas also stated that the Punjab and Haryana joined hands like AP and Telangana on irrigation projects in the past. But later the States did not release water though the courts gave verdicts to release water. He pointed out that who would be responsible if the same situation occurred between the two Telugu states in future.

He requested Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to make efforts for getting Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. He said that they were maintaining silence on this issue to give some appropriate time to the newly elected government in the State though Union Minister made statements in Parliament against the interest of the State.