State govt’s big mistake in handing over projects to KRMB: BRS

Hyderabad: Asserting that the State government has committed a big mistake by handing over projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), the BRS leaders on Tuesday demanded an apology and take an all-party delegation to New Delhi.

The leaders, including former ministers G Jagadish Reddy, S Niranjan Reddy, MP B Lingaiah Yadav and others addressed a press conference at Telangana Bhavan. Niranjan Reddy said the party was once again sounding bugle for protest so as to bring pressure on the State and the Central governments. He said handing over projects to KRMB was a life and death issue for people of Telangana. ‘The States can construct project as per their water needs. The government has committed a big mistake. While the meeting was going on in New Delhi, the leaders here took it casually; now both projects have gone into the hands of the Centre. Now they are at the mercy of the Centre’, said Reddy, alleging the government has taken a decision without consulting the State’s main Opposition.

The former minister said his party would take the issue to every household across State. ‘The struggle will not stop till the Centre allows justifiable share of Telangana’. He said the Centre should direct the Krishna water tribunal to give its verdict within six months without delaying; any delay would result in project cost escalation, which will burden people. Until water share is finalised, KRMB should not take over the projects’, he stated.

Replying to a question that Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhavat had claimed that KCR accepted to hand over the project, Reddy described the statement an absurd. ‘He had spoken off the record. It's totally false. Let him show a record which states KCR has agreed’, demanded Reddy. ‘If BRS had accepted, why would the Centre call the meeting on January 17 and other dates?

Replying to another question, he said that the party would hold a public meeting in Nalgonda at any cost. ‘The comments of local SP were not his own, but that of Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy’.