‘Building strong case before KWDT-II, being vigilant helps protect State interests’

Former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao emphasizes the need for a strong case to secure Telangana's rightful share in Krishna waters.

Protection of the rightful share of Telangana in the Krishna waters is not possible just with adopting a resolution in the Assembly and holding a ‘Chalo Nalgonda’ meet but it is possible with people being vigilant all the time, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and former chief minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao said.

Achieving the due share in Krishna waters would require presenting a strong case before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (KWDT-II) till it apportions water based on parameters followed globally, he said addressing a public meeting organised by the party here on Tuesday to mobilise people’s voice in support of the State’s due share in the river waters.

Even the resolution adopted in the Assembly was not comprehensive from the point of view of the State’s interests as it lacked the all-important hydel generation aspect at the two common projects in it, the BRS president said making it clear that the Chalo Nalgonda meet was not against anybody.

“Power is not permanent for any party but the interests of the Telangana people are permanent and no harm could be allowed to their interests including river waters,” Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao said adding that their government had made the Nalgonda district fluoride-free by providing safe drinking water to every household to end the decades old problem.

He said that the BRS (TRS) did not do nit-picking in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act as getting Statehood was the top priority as it was needed to address many problems, including discrimination in all fields. Nine years of relentless efforts made the Centre refer the matter of Krishna waters adjudication between the residuary State of A.P. and Telangana and it was time a strong cass was presented before the Tribunal for the rightful share.

Any successive government should aim to do better than what the previous government did but the one elected recently appeared to have only one agenda and that was to target KCR and use filthy language against him, the BRS chief said. The BRS government had completed 80% of the head works of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme against all odds, including filing of cases in tribunals and courts by the Congress leaders and activists.

He suggested the new government complete it to provide irrigation facilities in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts. On the handing over projects to the river board, he said the Centre had exerted pressure on the BRS government too but they did not budge.