CM KCR helping AP to draw Telangana water, charges TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is directly helping Andhra Pradesh to complete the expansion of Pothyreddypadu Head Regulator and start new Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme which would deprive Telangana of 6.3 TMC of Krishna Water.

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Uttam said that the two projects are being pursued by the AP government would badly hit the farmers of south Telangana and the drinking water supply in Hyderabad. He said that Andhra Pradesh has already called for the tenders for construction of Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme with a capacity to draw about 3 TMC per day from the bottom of the reservoir at +797 ft and enhance the diversion capacity at Pothireddypadu Head Regulator to more than 80,000 cusecs. This will result in Telangana losing 6.3 TMC of water every day.

"Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao's Govt has spent over Rs. 1 lakh crore orrowed from banks and other financial institutions at huge interest rates to construct Kaleshwaram Project to draw just 2 TMC of water. However, he is totally silent over losing 6.3 TMC of Krishna River water to Andhra," he said.

Uttam alleged that AP CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and CM KCR are good friends and the latter even funded YSRCP in the last Assembly elections. "KCR must answer as to why he is helping the AP government to take away Telangana's share in Krishna water. His silence is raising serious suspicions of a secret deal. There will be serious consequences if AP goes ahead with its plans. Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda and many parts of Ranga Reddy district will go dry and Hyderabad will face a severe shortage of drinking water," he said.