Stop Telangana irrigation projects or quit: Congress to CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee asked Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to obstruct the construction of irrigation projects by the Telangana government and if he could not do it he has better quit the post.

In a statement here on Tuesday, PCC president Dr Sake Sailajanath and working president Dr N Tulasi Reddy said that the Telangana government has been illegally constructing several irrigation projects on Krishna and Godavari Rivers without the authorised allocation by the Bachawat Tribunal and permission from Central Water Commission, Krishna River Management Board, and Apex Council. Andhra Pradesh would suffer immense loss if the Telangana irrigation projects were allowed, they said.

They said that the Telangana government is constructing eight projects on River Krishna including Palamauru-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects (90TMC), Dindi lift irrigation scheme (30TMC), Mission Bhagiratha (19.60TMC), Bhakta Ramadasa (5.50TMC), Tumilla (5.44(TMC), Nettempadu extension {3.40 TMC (from 22 tmc to 25.40tcm)}, SLBC extension {10TMC (from 30 to 40 TMC)}, Kalvakurti extension {15TMC (from 25 to 40tmc)}. In addition, there are proposals for new projects like Pulichintala left canal, Sunkesula lift irrigation, Nagarjuan Sagar tail pond lift irrigation, Jogulamba Barrage, Bhimaparacha canal etc.

The PCC leaders said that once these irrigation projects are completed, Telugu Ganga, Galeru-Nagari, SRBC, Handri-Neeva and Velugonda projects would become redundant. The water for irrigation for Krishna Delta and Nagarjuna Sagar would not be available.

They demanded the Chief Minister to immediately undertake legal and political action to obstruct the construction of the projects by Telangana. If the Chief Minister could not do that it would be better for him to resign, they said.

Chiranjeevi still in Congress: APCC

The Congress leaders Dr Sailajanath, Dr Tulasi Reddy, CD Meyyappan and Christopher said that senior actor, former Rajya Sabha member and former Union Minister K Chiranjeevi is still in the Congress party. Referring to the comments of former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, they said that the senior Congress leader was referring that Chiranjeevi could not participate in the party programmes since he was busy in film shooting. They said that the whole family of Chiranjeevi is supporter of Congress. "He would sure participate in the future programmes of the party," they said.