Telangana: Revanth Reddy dares KCR to debate on river waters

Hyderabad, July 9 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday dared former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to a debate on sharing of river waters and irrigation projects while launching a fresh attack on him for allegedly compromising the state’s interests during BRS rule.

The Chief Minister said he was ready for a debate with former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) in the Assembly on previous BRS government did and what the present Congress is doing to protect the state’s interests.

He even offered to conduct a mock Assembly at KCR’s Erravalli farmhouse if he had any problem in attending the Assembly.

The Chief Minister was speaking at an event where Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy made a PowerPoint presentation on Krishna River water.

Revanth Reddy remarked that he does not like debates at clubs and pubs. He was reacting to BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao’s challenge for a debate at the Press Club.

KTR had reached the Press Club, waiting for the Chief Minister for a debate on farmers’ issues.

The Chief Minister said if KCR has problems in attending the Assembly, he was ready to send a team of ministers to KCR’s farmhouse for debate. “If KCR wants to have a debate with me. I have no problems. KCR is very senior to me. I am ready to go there,” he said and asked KCR to fix the date and time for the debate.

Revanth Reddy reiterated that KCR’s friendship with then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy caused a huge loss to Telangana. He remarked that no one had given KCR the right to sign a death warrant for farmers depending on the Krishna waters.

He recalled KCR’s words that there are no basins and that 3,000 TMC of Godavari water is going to waste into the sea. He said the former CM had also stated that Godavari water can be brought to Krishna and Penna basins and that Rayalaseema can be turned into Ratanala Seema.

“KCR not only give advice to Jagan but also helps in issuing tenders and GOs,” he said.

The Chief Minister alleged that KCR did not insist on the supply of Krishna water to Hyderabad before the discussion on the utilisation of surplus water.

“If he had supplied water from Jurala to Palamuru and Rangareddy, Andhra Pradesh would not have got an opportunity to divert Krishna waters to Rayalaseema,” he said.

He alleged that KCR did not complete a single project in 10 years, and as a result, Telangana lost its rights. “KCR’s betrayal of Telangana is 1000 times worse than the injustice the state was subjected to by rulers in united Andhra Pradesh over Krishna waters,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government in Telangana would persist with its legal, technical, and administrative battle to reclaim the state's rightful share of Krishna river waters.

He accused the previous BRS regime of betraying Telangana's long-term interests by compromising with Andhra Pradesh, allowing large-scale water diversion, engineering failures, and financial mismanagement.

The minister said the government would reconstruct damaged barrages of the Kaleshwaram projects as per the guidelines of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) guidelines

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the changes in the design of the Kaleshwaram project by KCT and the decision to abandon Tummidihatti for Medigadda to build the barrage led to costly engineering failure and financial disaster.

--IANS

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