Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has expressed concern over the Centre’s approach to faulty policies with regard to sharing of Krishna and Godavari river water and the AP Government’s “baseless and unnecessary fuss” over the projects being constructed in Telangana.
“We need to get 1,000 additional TMC in Godavari surplus water. Godavari has more catchment area in Telangana state. River Godavari flows in more area in Telangana and the State needs more water. Of the 2,000 TMC that goes into the sea, the Telangana state should at least be allocated 1,000 TMC more,” the CM requested the Centre.
The CM said that the State would place all data from Telangana at the forthcoming Apex Council meeting to make it clear the unjust stand taken by the AP government and the Centre. KCR expressed regrets at the AP government for lodging false complaints against Telangana.
“We are constructing projects based on our share of the river waters. It is not correct to raise objections on the projects whose allocation of water was agreed upon before the formation of Telangana, permissions given and huge funds spent,” the CM observed.
Projects construction
“The Central government is also raising unnecessary objections over releasing water from Srisailam to Nagarjuna Sagar. Only after filling up of Nagarjunasagar project that other projects should be filled up with water. In fact, Srisailam is not an irrigation project. It is a hydroelectric project (Hydel power project). Without taking these facts into consideration, the Centre raising objections is not proper. As a State, Telangana has rights and is constructing projects based on its rights,” the CM said.
“In Godavari, Krishna basins, projects are constructed based on the State’s rights. The projects, which are being constructed now, were sanctioned at the time of formation of the State. Water allocations were made for these projects. Permissions from all the Institutions concerned were given including the Centre Water Commission (CWC). About ₹23,000 crore funds were already spent and 31,500 acres of land were acquired. Having made such a progress, calling them new projects is absurd,” he said.
“The Telangana Statehood movement began against the united AP rule as a dissatisfaction over projects not being completed despite the water allocations and discrimination being done on the Irrigation sector to the Telangana region,” Rao said.
The CM stated Pranahita-Chevella project was redesigned to construct Kaleswaram project, Kanthanapally redesigned to construct Sammakka Sagar, Rajiv Sagar, Indira Sagar redesigned to construct Sitarama Project, and Dummugudem is redesigned to construct Sithamma Sagar and that they are not new projects.