Minister for Roads & Buildings Tummala Nageswara Rao slammed the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh accusing it of complaining against the recently commissioned Bhakta Ramadasu Lift Irrigation Scheme (BRLIS) in Khammam district with the Central government on “baseless grounds”.
Speaking to media persons here on Friday, Mr. Nageswara Rao said the BRLIS was designed to utilise the Telangana’s allocated share of Krishna water.
The BRLIS is in Krishna basin. The Telangana government has every right to utilise its allocated share of 299 tmc of water in the Krishna in whichever way it deems fit, to provide irrigation to the parched lands in the State, he asserted.
“Telangana parted ways with Seemandhra mainly on water issues. It suffered severe injustices in utilising Krishna water right from the construction of Nagarjunasagar project in the undivided Andhra Pradesh,” Mr. Rao said.
There is a provision for construction of lift irrigation schemes to irrigate 1.50 lakh acres in both Khammam and Nalgonda districts under the NSP left canal system as per the Gentlemen’s Agreement, he noted.
The TDP government in Andhra Pradesh has constructed the Pattiseema lift irrigation project without informing the upper riparian State of Telangana, he charged, saying Telangana too has share in Pattiseema project water.
Despite the precarious water level in Nagarjunasagar dam, the Telangana government has released water to Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh.
“The A.P. government should desist from carrying out misinformation campaign against the BRLIS and strive along with Telangana to effectively put forth pleas for sharing of Krishna water before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal to safeguard the interests of farmers of both the Telugu States,” he said.
