Project site visit allowed after argument
Telangana Industries Minister Jupally Krishna Rao (Photo: PTI/File)
Hyderabad: Industries minister Juppally Krishna Rao, TRS MP A.P. Jitender Reddy and others were stopped by the Karnataka police when they tried to visit the under-construction Girijapur barrage across the Krishna in Raichur district, to which the TS government has raised objections.
However, after half-an-hour of wrangling with Karnataka officials, they were allowed to visit the site under police escort.
Karnataka police imposed Section144 in the area to prevent any untoward incident and also beefed up security. Mr Krishna Rao said the 1,170-metre barrage being constructed by the Karnataka government with a capacity of 2 TMC and having 194 gates, was illegal and it would reduce Krishna river inflows into Telangana, especially affecting Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts.
Karnataka insists it is a road-cum-barrage project and it has a capacity of 0.5 TMC.
“The barrage is totally illegal. There is no permission from the Central Water Commission or tht Krishna Water Board. They have constructed 10 such road-cum-barrages from Narayanpur. This has reduced inflows into Telangana. We will lodge a complaint with Union water resources minister Uma Bharati and request her to stop all such barrages which hinder free flow of Krishna waters,” Mr Jitender Reddy told this newspaper over telephone.
Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, who conducted a review meeting on irrigation projects recently, took up the issue with the Karnataka government and also asked Mr Krishna Rao and others TRS leaders and irrigation officials to do a spot inspection of the barrage.
When Mr Krishna Rao, Mr Jitender Reddy, MLC Jagishwar Reddy and others reached Shaktinagar in Raichur in a convoy, the Karnataka police stopped them.
The TS team had a heated argument with the police and Mr Krishna Rao spoke to his Karna-taka counterpart and irrigation officials who on the assurance of peaceful conduct allowed them under police escort.
“I am a MP. What’s wrong in visiting the project if there is nothing illegal about it? If you don’t allow, it will create a problem. Let a team along with media be allowed,” Mr Jitender Reddy said.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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