Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president, N. Raghuveera Reddy on Friday said that ‘illegal’ projects being constructed by Telangana on the Krishna river would adversely affect eight districts of the State. He started to to Srisailam as part of a protest programme organised by Congress leaders and cadre from eight districts, four from Rayalaseema, the Krishna delta districts of Krishna and Guntur besides Nellore and Prakasam districts.
Speaking to the media in Anantapur, Mr Raghuveera Reddy said that the Palamuru - Dindi Lift Irrigation Project being taken up on the Krishna river from close to the dam site of Srisailam was an ‘illegal project’ that lacked any permission from any of the statutory authorities of the Union government or the river water management board of the Krishna.
“The Telangana government has even allotted Rs. 7,000 crore for the project which aims to draw 160 tmcft of water from Srisailam to the Dindi reservoir and beyond. This will mean that the HNSS, GNSS, Telugu Ganga and Velugodu projects will run dry completely,” said Mr Raghuveera Reddy.
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He further said that while the Rayalaseema districts would be the most affected on account of ‘illegal’ project, not even the Krishna delta districts would be spared from its effect besides that of the Prakasam district which falls under the tail-end of the Nagarjunasagar project.
Negating any chance of the State government not knowing the intent of the plan of the Telangana government going ahead with the project or the adversity it would create in the State, Mr Reddy said that he had personally written a letter to the State government on this while the Congress party had met and apprised the Governor about the matter.
“When the Maharashtra government tool up the Babli project of just 2 tmcft when we (Congress) were in power and the TDP in opposition, they (TDP leaders) had created a ruckus, even getting arrested by going to Maharashtra and trying to stop the construction of the project. Why are the TDP leaders silent now when 160 tmcft is being taken out of our basket illegally?” argued Mr Reddy.
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‘Vote for Note’ scam
Mr Reddy alleged that Chandrababu Naidu was proven to have been guilty by ‘200 per cent’ in the ‘Vote for Note’ scam in Telangana and that the last nail in the coffin for Mr Naidu would be the signature of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on the file to arrest Mr Naidu and hence Mr Naidu had ‘sacrificed’ the interests of the State at the altar of personal benefit.
Raghuveera Reddy says Palamuru - Dindi Lift Irrigation Project lacks
any permission