Govt. committed to protect Telangana’s water rights: Uttam Kumar Reddy

HYDERABAD

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday stated that the Congress government would protect Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna and Godavari waters through whatever methods required.

He made it clear that there would be no compromise on the State’s water rights, which he described as essential for farmers’ prosperity and the future of Telangana. Inspecting the ongoing irrigation works on Krishna river in Suryapet district, he came down heavily on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, holding it responsible for pushing the irrigation sector into a crisis and burdening the State with a staggering ₹16,000 crore in annual interest payments alone on irrigation loans.

The Minister said the financial burden caused by the BRS mismanagement was nothing short of a sin against Telangana’s people. He asserted that the Congress government, in contrast, was a true farmer-friendly administration, working round-the-clock to secure justice for Telangana’s farmers.

Finding fault with the BRS rule for failing to protect the State’s fair share of Krishna waters, Mr. Uttam Reddy pointed out that while the Krishna water allocation for combined Andhra Pradesh was 811 tmc ft, the previous BRS regime had agreed to give 512 tmc ft to A.P. and restricting Telangana to just 299 tmc ft. He termed it a historical betrayal and said it had permanently harmed the irrigation prospects of Telangana farmers.

He explained that the Congress government was willing to fight at any level to protect the river water rights of Telangana. He stated that the Congress government had launched an unrelenting fight to secure a just share for Telangana in Krishna and Godavari waters. He explained that if consultations and dialogue with Government of India failed to get fair allocations, then the State would not hesitate to approach the courts and wage a legal battle.

He underscored that water allocations must be made considering catchment area, ayacut and population, so that Telangana got its rightful entitlement. Recalling the past proposals, the Minister explained that during the Congress regime in combined A.P., Pranahita-Chevella was proposed at Tummadihatti with an estimated cost of ₹38,000 crore to benefit Telangana.

However, the BRS, lured by commissions and corruption, had scrapped that plan and built the Kaleshwaram project at an astronomical ₹1 lakh crore, which had now failed and turned virtually useless. He stated that had the Pranahita-Chevella project gone ahead at the original location, the State would have saved ₹62,000 crore.