Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday stressed the need for linking Krishna and Godavari Rivers adding that only that would solve the water woes in both the Telugu speaking states.
While addressing a press conference at Edula reservoir in Mahbubnagar district after inspecting the works of the Palamuru- Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme (PLIS), Mr Rao said that if the both rivers were linked, there would be no dependence on Karnataka for the water needs of both the states.
Maintaining that water would be available 365 days if the Krishna and Godavari rivers were interlinked, Mr Rao said that he had taken the initiative for interlinking of both the rivers during talks with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and the latter had responded positively.
Slamming former AP chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu for his comments on the proposal for sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters, Mr Rao asked whether he had tried to stall the completion of irrigation projects in Telangana since its formation.
Mr Rao said, “I never had such cynical thinking like Naidu. What did he do for the irrigation projects in Telangana when he was in power? He made a big hue and cry for the Babli Project, but the net result is zero.”
He reminded that, “After formation of Telangana, we established cordial relations with the neighbouring Maharashtra government which resulted in completion of the Kaleshwaram project.”
He said that “We are very well aware of how to behave with our neighbouring states and we don’t want to learn any lessons from Naidu.”
Rejecting the criticism of Congress leaders, Mr Rao said “On one side the entire world is appreciating the Kaleshwaram as an engineering marvel, but these Congress paupers are making an unnecessary hue and cry.”
Mr Rao blamed Congress leaders stating that they were responsible for 24 lakh pump sets in Mahbubnagar district as they neglected the district during their regime.
He ridiculed the demand of Congress leaders to build the PLIS project to lift water from Jurala project and said that those “paupers don’t even know that Jurala had only 6 tmc ft of water.”
