Stall all illegal water projects, Telangana CM KCR warns AP

Hyderabad: In a sort of warning to the neighbouring state, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said that if Andhra Pradesh does not stop construction of illegal projects like Pothireddypadu on river Krishna, the Telangana government will go ahead with the construction of a barrage at Alampur-Pedda Marur to lift 3 TMC of water every day for agriculture.

He said the welfare of farmers of Telangana is important for him and if AP attempts to render injustice by taking up illegal projects and if it tries to usurp the rights of the state by breaking rules and regulations, he would not remain a mute spectator.

Participating in the Apex Council meeting through videoconference on Tuesday, KCR said: "The injustices being meted out to Telangana region in river water allocation has resulted in separate statehood movement. The newly formed Telangana has every right not only to get its rightful share but also would reclaim what it had lost under united Andhra Pradesh.

He expressed his displeasure that the Centre had not acted on the complaints filed against the illegal projects taken up by the neighbour. He reminded that the Pothireddypadu project was opposed even during the movement for separate Telangana since it was illegal but the then government bulldozed it. Now the AP government wants to further expand it and that was not acceptable to him.

The CM made a presentation with examples on the details of river water sharing and the allocations to be made to Telangana as a right. He demanded that justice to be rendered to the state in this regard immediately.

The CM wanted the Terms of References of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-2) should be made in accordance with the AP State Reorganisation Act 2014 under Section 89. Allocation of water to the projects should be done accordingly.

The CM, in this context, brought to the notice about a principle that river water should be diverted within the river basins. The CM also brought to the notice about the Union Water Resources Ministry's guidelines that "it is only after fulfilling the needs of regions within one river basin, if there is any surplus water it should be diverted." Hence, he said, AP has no right to divert Krishna water outside the basin. He reiterated that all the ongoing projects in TS were not new but were started before bifurcation and are in accordance with its right share of 967.94 TMC of Godavari waters.

He said his government will submit all the DPRs. When he raised the issue of Godavari Tribunal, the Union Minister said that if both states give a letter then it would be constituted. KCR said if the Centre comes forward to solve the river water disputes between the two states through talks, the Telangana government is ready. But before that water allocations should be made, limits should be fixed so that the water boards would work efficiently.