PNS|Hyderabad
Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy held the BRS admin squarely responsible for compromising Telangana’s rights over Krishna waters and accused it of colluding with Andhra Pradesh for a decade.
He said that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Irrigation Minister Harish Rao acted as ‘unofficial ambassadors’ of Andhra Pradesh at the cost of Telangana’s irrigation interests.
Uttam described the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project as a “death sentence” for Telangana and said the BRS government did not even try to stop the Mutchumarri project.
“Every day, three TMCs of Krishna water are being diverted. KCR supported this exploitation by entering into a secret understanding with Jagan,” he said. He said that more water was pumped out from Mutchumarri and Malyala during KCR’s rule than during the United Andhra Pradesh era.
He said that Telangana deliberately avoided attending Apex Council meetings until the Rayalaseema Project’s tenders were finalised. “This wasn’t neglect, it was a wilful act. Telangana skipped the Apex Council meetings to protect Jagan’s interests as per a secret deal,” Uttam said.
Turning to the Banakacharla Project, Uttam accused BRS leaders of spreading deliberate lies. “They should rename themselves ‘Goebbels Rao’. If Goebbels were alive, he would be surprised at how shamelessly BRS leaders are lying today,” he said.
He clarified that Telangana will not accept the Banakacharla Project under any circumstances, calling it a violation of GRMB, CWC, and Apex Council norms.
“This is against the interstate water policy. We have explained this in detail to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman,” he said.
He also said that on January 22, he had written to Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil outlining Andhra Pradesh’s violations, and in May, received an assurance from Patil that any proposal from AP would be scrutinised as per the law.
Uttam emphasised that Telangana will not tolerate injustice. “We will fight for Telangana’s rightful share of water. There is no going back,” he said, calling upon Union Ministers Kishan Reddy and Sanjay to convince the Centre.
He said that the BRS facilitated Krishna injustice by allowing 1,254 TMCs to flow to Andhra Pradesh. This is far more than Telangana’s rightful share. “United AP gave us 724 TMCs. But the BRS agreed to just 299 TMCs while AP got 512. They signed away our rights,” he said.
Uttam also questioned the cost escalation in Kaleshwaram. “Had Kaleshwaram not incurred such massive spending, every Krishna project could have been completed. Choosing Medigadda instead of Thummidihatti alone cost an extra Rs 68,000 crore,” he added.
Calling the current BRS protest a drama, he said, “They betrayed Telangana then, and now they are staging theatrics hoping that the people can be duped.”
