We will oppose Telangana proposed projects, says Andhra Pradesh minister

Hyderabad: Responding to AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s gesture that he had no objections to a meeting with his Telangana counterpart K. Chandrasekhar Rao to sort out the issues concerning both the states, Telangana irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Thursday charged the AP Chief Minister with conspiring and working against the interests of Telangana.

“We have no issues for a joint meeting, but where is the ambience for that? It was Chandrababu who spoiled the atmosphere with his conspiracies against the interests of Telangana,” Mr Harish Rao said.

Addressing a media conference at the Secretariat on Thursday, Mr Harish Rao asked, “Why was the Telangana government not consulted before you (Chandrababu) pressurised the Centre and bro-ught the Ordinance for merging seven mandals of Khammam with Seemandhra? Why did you not ask our opinion before taking away Lower Sileru electricity project from Telangana to Seemandhra? With-out consulting the Tela-ngana government why did you snap the existing Power Purchase Agreements? Are these not conspiracies hatch-ed by you against Telangana people? Were your actions not meant to deprive power to Telangana?”

Mr Harish Rao added that if Mr Naidu stopped conspiring against Telangana and was really sincere in resolving any outstanding disputes between the two states, he was welcome.

Meanwhile, trading charges and counter charges on the additional release of Krishna waters to the Krishna delta system for drinking purposes continued on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh irrigation minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, said it was unfortunate that even release of waters for drinking purposes was subjected to politicisation by his Telangana counterpart, who had claimed that the water was being used for irrigation purposes. “The Krishna Delta system has the right to use waters and it cannot be challenged by anybody, we are even prepared to move the Supreme Cou-rt or Krishna Tribunal over this, nobody can deny the rights of Krishna Delta which has been using the waters from centuries,” the minister said.

Mr Uma Maheswara Rao added that AP too had objections to the Telangana government bringing two new proposals, of constructing the Palamur Lift Irrigation scheme and a gravitational canal from Jurala to Pakala.

“We will raise the issue in the KRMB meetings; how can they construct new projects without having any right over the water allocation? With their action they are going to depr-ive areas like Nalgonda and Khammam in Telangana and also rights of other farmers in Telangana over Krishna waters.”