Hyderabad: TRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao sparked off another controversy by demanding that there be no allocation or diversion of Krishna river waters to eight ‘illegal’ projects being constructed in Rayalaseema and Nellore districts.
In a letter submitted to the Group of Ministers on Tuesday night, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief stated that the Galeru-Nagari, Handri-Neeva, Kandaleru, Somasila, Velugodu, Veligonda, Chitravathi Balancing Reservoir and the Lingala Canal scheme, that are constructed or are being constructed, are ineligible to draw Krishna river water according to the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal.
These eight projects, which account for more than 200 TMC ft of water from the surplus flows of the Krishna and Penna rivers, will cater to the irrigation needs of 20 lakh acres in the districts of Kurnool, Kadapa, Anantapur, Chittoor (all in Rayalaseema), Prakasam and Nellore districts.
Rao has suggested to the GoM that water allocation and related issues between Telangana and Seemandhra must be adjudicated by a tribunal headed by a Supreme Court judge.
He said several projects have been constructed on the Krishna and Godavari rivers over a period of time.
“The TRS is committed to honouring the legally constructed projects having legitimate allocation of waters. But of late several illegal projects without any statutory permission are in the pipeline. None of them enjoys any allocation of waters from the Central Water Commission.
The TRS is never going to agree for legitimising such illegal projects. The Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has also objected to such projects as they exist outside the Krishna Basin,”?Rao submitted in his letter.
Next: TD hits out at KCR comments
TD hits out at KCR comments
Nellore: TRS president K. Chandrasekhar Rao, came under fire from Telugu Desam for his recent comments against Telugu Ganga project. Former minister and TD politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy criticised the TRS chief for his allegation that Kandaleru and Somasila are illegal projects.
Reminding that Kandaleru and Somasila are part of Telugu Ganga project, he pointed to 15 tmc feet of water allotted for the project, to supply drinking water to the Chennai city from Nellore. He fumed at KCR for talking without any basic knowledge on the subject.
In a sarcastic tone, he advised KCR to contact the then chief minister Jalagam Vengal Rao or the then prime minister Indira Gandhi while pointing to their role behind the project.
