Harish Slams CM, Uttam's Silence on AP's Plans on Godavari-Cauvery Link
Harish Rao also said the Congress government, by linking AP’s Godavari–Nallamalasagar project with the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, will amount to surrendering Telangana’s legally entitled water rights and betraying the interests of the state.
Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister and senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Sunday excoriated Chief Minister A. Revnath Reddy and irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy for “compromising Telangana’s water rights” by remaining mute to Andhra Pradesh’s plans to push the Centre into agreeing to its proposal for the Polavaram-Cauvery link as part of interlinking of rivers.
He also said the Congress government, by linking AP’s Godavari–Nallamalasagar project with the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, will amount to surrendering Telangana’s legally entitled water rights and betraying the interests of the state.
“Revanth Reddy is acting in the interests of his political mentor in AP rather than safeguarding Telangana’s interests, and Uttam Kumar Reddy appears completely befuddled,” Harish Rao alleged.
He said after the Banakacherla and Nallamala Sagar proposals failed, AP launched a new attempt under the Godavari-Cauvery river Linking project guise.
“This proposal bypasses Telangana entirely by seeking to transfer water from Polavaram towards Nallamala Sagar and further south, depriving Telangana of any benefit. Telangana must receive 50 percent of the water diverted through any river-linking project. And any river-linking proposal should pass through Telangana territory, particularly through Ichampalli or Sammakka Sagar to Nagarjuna Sagar,” he said.
If AP’s plans in the Cauvery link get approved, then it will also get the benefits of a National Project while Telangana will lose substantial future water allocations, he added.
Harish Rao also criticised Revanth Reddy’s suggestion that Telangana will support approvals for the Banakacherla project if clearance was given to the Palamuru-Rangareddy project. This will damage both Telangana’s Godavari interests and Palamuru project’s future. “The 90 TMC allocated to the Palamuru-Rangareddy project already belongs to Telangana and does not require any concession to Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
