The TDP said that irrigation prospects in 80 lakh acres of land dependent on assured waters from the Krishna were likely to be affected adversely due to failure of the government in protecting State's interests before the Krishna Waters Dispute Tribunal (KWDT).
At a press conference here on Sunday, TDP leaders D.Uma Maheshwar Rao and D.Narendra Kumar accused the State government of being in a “deep slumber” over the action of Karnataka which had raised the height of Alamatti dam to 520.02 metres in violation of the apex court's judgement.
Stating that Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah had no right to criticise TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu on the Alamatti issue, they accused him of hitting out at the opposition in a bid to cover up his failure to protect the State's interests before KWDT.
Faulting the government for reportedly informing KWDT that it would not stake a claim for surplus waters for Galeru-Nagari, Hundri Neeva, Velugonda, Nettampadu and Kalwakruthy projects, they demanded him to answer whether it was not tantamount to betraying the Rayalaseema people's interests.
Meanwhile, speaking at a function organised in connection with the 184{+t}{+h} birth anniversary of Jyothirao Phule, TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu called upon people to emulate the social reformer's ideals, as he had striven for the uplift of the weaker sections. He lauded former Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao's special efforts for bettering the lot of the downtrodden.
