BRS hits out at Telangana CM over A.P.'s Krishna water draw from Srisailam
BRS leader T. Harish Rao accused Telangana CM of inaction as A.P. diverts Krishna water from Srisailam via Veligonda project, leaving local ayacut dry.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Deputy Floor Leader in the Assembly, T. Harish Rao, on Monday questioned Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy's silence over the alleged diversion of Krishna river water by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh from the Srisailam reservoir.
In a statement, Mr. Rao claimed that Andhra Pradesh has been drawing water through the twin tunnels of the Veligonda project to Nallamalasagar, intended for irrigation outside the Krishna basin, while Telangana's in-basin areas continue to face drought. He said the Veligonda project is designed to utilise 43.5 tmc ft of water to irrigate about 4.5 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and south coastal Andhra, with each of the two tunnels running nearly 19 km.
The BRS leader alleged that in the first phase, about 11 tmc ft of water is being diverted from Srisailam, in violation of tribunal awards and without the approval of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). He accused the board of remaining a mute spectator to the draw.
Mr. Rao also criticised the Congress government in Telangana for allegedly failing to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, which he said has indirectly helped Andhra Pradesh. He added that people in Telangana now expect Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy to intervene in the matter.
He further alleged that the illegal diversion began with the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, with additional lifts at Malyala and Muchumarri later drawing water for the Handri-Neeva and K.C. Canal projects. Andhra Pradesh is already drawing water from the Nagarjunasagar Right Canal and now plans to empty Srisailam through Veligonda, he claimed.