” Uttam rejects claims of projects handover to KRMB”
K VENKATESHWARLU
The Congress Government would never hand over control of Telangana’s irrigation projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), Irrigation Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar
Reddy said categorically.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat here on Monday, Uttam criticised former Minister Harish Rao and other BRS leaders for spreading the lie that the Congress Government has agreed to hand over the State’s irrigation projects
to the KRMB.
He clarified that the Congress Government took charge only on December 7, 2023, and in the last 56 days, the proposal was never considered and that the government would never hand over any project to KRMB.
Uttam pointed out that the BRS Government had failed in optimally using Krishna River
water and had agreed to give a higher share of the river’s water to Andhra Pradesh.
He said that the TRS Govt should have insisted on a bigger share in Krishna River waters
for Telangana immediately after the formation of Telangana in 2014.
He said that in river basins, water sharing is decided based on the catchment area, drought-prone areas, population and cultivable area.
However, he said that injustice was done to Telangana on all parameters, with the KCR government agreeing to give a bigger water share to Andhra Pradesh.
Reading out the minutes of the KRMB meeting, he pointed out that it was the BRS government that had agreed to hand over irrigation projects to KRMB, and the same was reflected in the documents of the 2023- 24 budget presented by then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself.
Apart from handing over irrigation projects, KCR government also allocated Rs 200 crore for their maintenance, he said. He accused BRS leaders of spreading lies repeatedly to defame the Congress Government.
“As the Irrigation Minister, I categorically announce that we have not taken any decision in this regard. There has been no proposal, no attempt or no direction to hand over irrigation projects to the KRMB,” he reiterated.
Uttam emphasised that it was the KCR Government that facilitated the AP Government to float tenders for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation schemes by postponing the apex council meeting.
He pointed out that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was started a few
days ago after a secret agreement between KCR and Jagan.
He criticised the KCR Government for failing to use the 7 TMCs of Krishna water that comes by gravity to Telangana and allowing Andhra Pradesh to take 8 TMC per day from Srisailam. He highlighted that on May 5, 2020, the AP Govt issued the GO No: 203’ to withdraw 8 TMCs of water per day.
He accused the BRS government of fully cooperating with the AP Govt in depriving Telangana of its due share in the Krishna River waters.
