KCR: TS to raise AP\'s \'illegal projects\' on Krishna in Parliament meet

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is to field party MPs to fight against Andhra Pradesh government's 'illegal projects' on Krishna during the monsoon session of Parliament from July 19.

TRS parliamentarians in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will raise their voice against AP's projects and urge the Centre to stop AP projects and resolve Krishna water dispute permanently by making fresh water allocations to Telangana and AP.

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by the CM at Pragathi Bhavan on Tuesday. He discussed the Krishna water dispute between TS and AP, a release issued by the CMO said.

The meeting decided to fight against AP's illegal projects on all platforms including courts and tribunals to safeguard the interests of Telangana and continue the ongoing hydel power generation at all projects over Krishna till the water levels permit.

However, official sources said Telangana is likely to abstain from the meeting convened by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) if it is held on July 9. The TS government has been demanding a full-scale meeting of KRMB after July 20, instead of a three-member committee meeting on July 9.

Official sources said the issue of abstaining from the KRMB meeting was discussed. However, the CMO and irrigation officials remain tight-lipped on the decisions taken at the meeting.

The CM reportedly expressed anger over KRMB including only the issues raised by AP in the agenda of the July 9 meeting and ignoring the matters raised by TS. It was thus decided to abstain from the meeting unless the KRMB postponed it and included TS issues in the meeting agenda.

The KRMB has called the July 9 meeting to discuss ways for resolving the ongoing Krishna water sharing dispute between TS and AP after the AP government lodged a complaint against TS on July 1 over the latter taking up power generation at irrigation projects (Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Pulichintala) utilising Krishna water and causing irrigation and drinking water problems for AP.

Chandrashekar Rao, on July 3, urged KRMB to postpone the July 9 meeting and hold it after July 20. Accordingly, irrigation special chief secretary Rajat Kumar sent a letter to KRMB on July 5 seeking postponement of the July 9 meeting and convening of a full board meeting on a mutually convenient date after July 20. It said the technical teams in Telangana were now busy with management of various irrigation schemes due to commencement of the Kharif season