Telangana govt approves changes to irrigation projects

Hyderabad: The TS Cabinet on Friday approved the reengineering and re-designing of irrigation projects — Pranahitha-Chevella, Devadula, Kanthanapalli, Rajiv Sagar, Indira Sagar and SRSP flood flow canal projects — conceptualised by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. These are to create maximum irrigation and drinking water potential by making best use of TS share of Godavari and Krishna waters.

The TS Cabinet, which met at the Secretariat after a gap of nearly three months, also cleared the MoUs signed between the TS and Maharashtra governments with regard to construction of projects on Godavari.

The issue of the AP government objecting to irrigation projects being taken up by TS on Krishna and Godavari rivers was discussed at length. Mr Rao said the AP government was resorting to a malicious campaign against TS irrigation projects at the national level and lodging false complaints against TS with the Centre and River Water Management Boards besides encouraging AP farmers to approach courts. He said that this should be no more tolerated and the TS government should put up a strong argument at all levels to counter the false propaganda of AP.

The Cabinet asked irrigation minister T. Harish Rao to lead a team to Delhi and meet Union water resources minister Uma Bharathi and officials of Krishna Water Board and place the facts before them to counter AP’s claims.

The Cabinet also decided to send a team headed by the CM to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister on this issue, if the situation demands. The Cabinet took a serious view of AP government adopting a resolution urging the Centre to stop “illegal projects” taken up by the TS government. Mr Rao said despite his best efforts to convince the AP government not to rake up unnecessary controversies on TS irrigation projects, the AP government continued to adopt a confrontational attitude, leaving no option but to reciprocate in a similar way.