The Opposition parties in the State, particularly Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), have termed the Supreme Court judgment on Babhali project constructed by Maharashtra across the Godavari river as “shocking and unfortunate”.
They criticised the State government’s failure in presenting proper arguments to protect the interests of Telangana region.
Speaking at Warangal, TDP senior leader Errabelli Dayakar Rao literally broke into tears over the judgment and its adverse impact on Telangana. “It’s due to sheer negligence of Congress party and indifferent attitude of TRS the Maharashtra Government has completed the project”, he alleged.
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Recollecting the struggle taken up by TDP against the project he said it was not the matter of losing 2 TMC ft water but of forfeiting rights over 30 TMC ft water to Maharashtra. “The entire north Telangana will turn into a desert and not a single village in Warangal and Karimnagar districts will get drinking water,” he said.
Led by party president N. Chandrababu Naidu the TDP had made every effort to stall the project including going to jail, but in vain as there were no sincere efforts from the State Government, Mr. Dayakar Rao noted.
Speaking separately here, former MP of TRS B. Vinod Kumar and MLA K.T. Rama Rao said: “The apex court verdict will render grave injustice to Telangana.” They held both N. Chandrababu Naidu and Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Governments responsible for Maharashtra constructing the project.
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They alleged that the step-motherly treatment of Seemandhra leaders towards Telangana was rendering injustice. They demanded that the State government go for a review petition stating that the three-member supervisory committee proposed by the Supreme Court to monitor water utilisation by Maharashtra would be of no use.
The TRS leaders suggested the State government to take up a project at the confluence of Pranahita and Indravati rivers into Godavari at Kanthanapalli in Warangal district to compensate the loss.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) blamed the State government neglect for the judgment and demanded that the Chief Minister convene an all-party meeting on the issue to discuss the ways out to protect the State’s interests.