Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed his disapproval of the absence of opposition leader K Chandrashekar Rao during a discussion in the State Assembly. Uttam Kumar Reddy criticized the BRS Government for accepting the increase in the capacity of the Pothireddypadu head regulator and the construction of the Rayalaseema Lift scheme by the AP Government.
The issue of who is responsible for compromising Telangana’s share in Krishna water became a heated topic in the State Assembly. The State Government presented a powerpoint claiming that the previous government had agreed to a smaller share in Krishna water before the first meeting of the Krishna River Management Board. However, the former irrigation minister and BRS leader T Harish Rao accused the government of misleading the House and stated that it was the present Congress government that agreed to hand over project management and water release to KRMB.
Harish Rao mentioned that the leader of opposition had planned a public meeting to expose the government. In response, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy presented minutes from KRMB meetings, which stated that the state government had agreed to 293 tmc feet of water for Telangana compared to over 500 tmc feet for Andhra Pradesh. He also showed letters written by Secretary Smita Sabharwal to the Centre, indicating the state’s readiness to transfer projects to the Board.
Uttam Kumar criticized the previous government for accepting the increase in Pothireddypadu capacity and the construction of the Rayalaseema Lift scheme by the AP Government. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed his objection to Chandrashekar Rao’s absence and stated that he should have been present to share his party’s stance on the resolution being discussed. Revanth Reddy emphasized that the government’s resolution clearly stated that it would not hand over projects to KRMB.
Earlier, Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the previous government compromised the state’s interests in utilizing Krishna water and handing over projects like Srisailam and Nagarjuan Sagar to the Board. He referred to a letter dated December 1, 2023, written by Smita Sabharwal to the Centre, confirming that the Telangana government agreed in principle to transfer control of common projects to KRMB. He clarified that the present government did not sign any agreement on January 17, 2024, as alleged by BRS, regarding the transfer of reservoir control to KRMB.
