Telangana Rashtra Samithi deputy floor leader in the Assembly T Harish Rao has demanded the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to issue a ‘Whitepaper’ on the use of Krishna waters for Handri Neeva project. He wanted an all-party meeting should be convened forthwith to discuss the diversion of Krishna waters to Rayalaseema, meant for use in Telangana region. He sought the CM to come out with a clear statement on Telangana share in Krishna river waters.
Harish Rao has released an open letter, written to the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy, to the press here on Friday. The TRS leader stated that Srisailam irrigation project was originally meant for power generation. But leaders of Rayalaseema region have built irrigation projects such as Pothireddypadu and Handri-Neeva with which they were making illegal use of Krishna waters.
Through Pothireddypadu project the dead storage water has also been taken from Srisailam project to Handri Neeva project. Four districts of Andhra region and Khammam and Nalgonda were supposed to make use of Krishna waters. Rayalaseem region has no right to make use of Krishna waters.
But the rulers from that area like late CM, YS Rajasekhar Reddy and the current CM Kiran Kumar Reddy diverting Krishna water by building illegal projects, Harish Rao accused. The districts which were supposed to receive water through left canal of Nagarjunasagar were not supplied water on the pretext that there was insufficient inflow into Krishna River.
He strongly condemned the alleged endorsement by the ministers Ponnala Lakmaiah, K Jana Reddy, D K Aruna and Baswaraju Saraiah to the misuse of Krishna waters. Instead of opposing the use of Krishna waters for Handri-Neeva, the ministers Aruna and Lakmaiah took part in ‘padayatra’ taken up by minister Raghuveera Reddy in support of the project.
The TRS leader wanted TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress Party leader Sharmila to come out with a clear stand on the issue of Handri Neeva project and the illegal utilization of Krishna waters. [The Hans India]