Andhra Pradesh water projects to face stiff opposition from Telangana

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government is preparing for a showdown with the Andhra Pradesh government over the Polavaram and Pattiseema projects in AP.

The state government has decided to strongly oppose the AP government’s move to raise the height of the Polavaram project and construction of the Pattiseema project without defining Telangana’s share of waters in the Krishna river.

The government is planning to take an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the two projects.

The Pattiseema project has already kicked up a furore in the AP Assembly and the Telangana government has been dragged into the controversy.

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao said on Thursday that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu was cheating and misleading the people in AP as well as Telangana regarding the two projects. “We will not allow the Andhra Pradesh government to increase the height of the Polavaram project at any cost. A case is pending in the Supreme Court on the change of design of the project. We will also not allow AP to take up the Pattiseema project till TS’s share of Krishna waters is cleared. We will fight it out. We will take the Opposition’s support in the Legislature and in Parliament and meet the Prime Minister,” Mr Harish Rao said.

“Mr Chandrababu Naidu is indulging in double talk. He tells his Assembly that there is no connection between the Polavaram project and Pattiseema project. But his government GO says Pattiseema is part of the Polavaram project,” he remarked.

“Who is he cheating? Mr Naidu said that the government was trying to divert Godavari water to Krishna. He also asks why Telan-gana is bothered about Pattiseema,” the minister said, adding that Mr Chandrababu Naidu, who had served as chief minister for nine years earlier, was trying to be “smart”.

“Bachawat award allotted 45 TMC from Krishna for undivided AP and 35 TMC for Maharashtra and Kar-nataka when Polavar-am was mooted. We want to know where our share of the 45 TMC is, since the state has been bifurcated,” Mr Rao said, while replying to queries in the Legislative council.

He added, “Telangana has a share in the Pattiseema project. Unless this issue is settled, Andhra Pradesh cannot take up the project. The Andhra Pradesh GO says Pattiseema project waters are meant for domestic and industrial use while Naidu promises water to Rayalaseema.”

Stating that Mr Chandrababu Naidu had openly claimed that he had ensured merger of seven mandals of Telangana with AP so that there was no hindrance to the Polavaram project, the irrigation minister said that it was unfortunate that Telugu Desam legislators (in Telangana) were still backing Naidu who was harming the interests of Telangana.