Putting their water war at rest, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy made bonhomie at a marriage function here on Sunday.
They met at the wedding of Telangana Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy’s grand-daughter and a police officer Krishna Mohan Reddy’s son. The police officer was Mr. Jagan’s Officer on Special Duty.
Mr. Rao and Mr. Jagan were seen chit-chatting for sometime sharing a common seat in front of the wedding pandal. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, Mr. Jagan’s mother Y.S. Vijayamma, Andhra Pradesh Speaker Tammineni Sitaram and several Ministers, MPs and MLAs from both States also participated.
This was one of the few occasions when the Chief Ministers of the neighbouring States met face-to-face after Mr. Rao invited Mr. Jagan for a luncheon meeting here to discuss irrigation issues between the two States through a powerpoint presentation shortly after the latter assumed charge.
The meeting was followed up by efforts by both States to divert Godavari water to Krishna basin. Mr. Rao was of the view that the water of Godavari could be used optimally instead of letting it down into the sea for mutual benefit of both States. The officials of the two sides also met twice but abandoned them abruptly after Mr. Jagan’s announcement in AP Assembly in December 2019 to construct Rayalaseema lift irrigation project.
The strains between the two States began to show up from January last year with the AP government issuing an order taking up the project. It invited KCR’s wrath as he lamented that this was what he got for hosting Mr. Jagan while trying to extend a hand of friendship for mutual benefit of both States.
Last year, Mr. Rao and Mr. Jagan confronted each other in virtual mode at the Apex Council meeting convened by Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a bid to resolve the water disputes but they had thickened by then.
The construction of Rayalaseema project, which did not have Central clearance, and a spate of complaints by Telangana to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) about excessive drawal of water by AP from the river added to the tensions.
AP also highlighted several violations by Telangana, mainly in construction of the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation project, even as the latter upped the ante demanding re-allocation of Krishna water between the two States by referring the matter to a tribunal.
