KCR government should approach Supreme Court to stop Andhra Pradesh from taking up two irrigation projects: TPCC

HYDERABAD: Stating that there is a threat of drinking water supplies to Greater Hyderabad being adversely affected and south Telangana going dry if the Andhra Pradesh government goes ahead with Pothireddypadu expansion and Rayalaseema Lift irrigation projects, the Congress has urged chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to immediately file a case in the Supreme Court seeking directions to scrap the AP government issued orders GO No. 203 and GO No. 388 for taking up the two projects.
The Congress also reiterated its demand that CM KCR should attend the apex council meeting convened virtually on Wednesday to hear out the version of the two states on river water sharing particularly to the two projects taken up by AP state.
In a letter to CM KCR on Tuesday, Telangana Congress president and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Supreme Court did not admit a PIL and directed Congress leader and former minister Nagam Janardhan Reddy to approach the state government when he had filed a case in the apex court on Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.
“The Supreme Court may entertain only state governments in river water issues. The state government approached the apex Court at an early date before AP finalizes tenders on August 19 for execution of the two projects,” Uttam said and demanded that KCR should resign from CM post if he fails to stop AP from taking up these two projects.
Referring to CM KCR’s statement that Telangana state will put up a “relentless legal fight to stop these projects under any circumstances,” the TPCC chief requested the CM to immediately intervene as the water is being taken outside the Krishna basin to the Pennar basin, which is illegal.
“It is only after the apex council meeting on Krishna river water was called by the Centre that you (KCR) decided to hold a cabinet meeting on the same day to avoid the apex council meeting. Is it not possible to hold the cabinet meeting on August 4 or August 6 and attend the apex council meeting regarding Krishna river on August 5?” Uttam said.
"You and your government have repeatedly been boasting of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project built at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crores of borrowed money (and a recurring cost of Rs 12,000 crore a year) to lift 2 TMC of water, and at the same time you are ignoring the plan of AP government to take away 6.3 TMC of Krishna water per day which is presently flowing into Telangana by gravity without any cost to Telangana state," he stated in the letter.
"If the AP government goes on and completes the Pothireddypadu expansion from 44,000 cusecs to 80,000 cusecs per day and build Rayalaseema lift to draw 3 TMC of Krishna water per day, the very purpose of creation of separate Telangana (to prevent injustice in allocation of water) will be defeated. You have met AP CM on several occasions and it is shocking that you have not thought it appropriate to raise such an important issue as above," Uttam said in the letter.
"In case the AP government does go ahead with physical execution of above works, the Congress demands that you accept moral responsibility for failing to protect the interests of Telangana and you should resign as chief minister," he said.