CPI demands Central intervention to resolve Krishna water dispute

Mahbubnagar: As part of the fight against the Andhra Pradesh government's illegal projects on Krishna River, CPI leaders and activists led by party State secretary Chada Venkat Reddy held a huge rally and later staged a protest in front of the District Collectorate here on Friday.

The police stopped the activists, who tried to barge into the Collectorate. Later, they sat on the road and raised slogans.

The protestors demanded both the State and Central government to resolve the water disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh immediately and save Palamuru region from becoming arid and dry once again.

Chada Venkat Reddy alleged that Chief Ministers K Chandrashekar Rao and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively were trying to create unnecessary conflicts between the people of two States and in the name of water, they were trying to gain politically and want to earn votes by raking regional sentiments among the people. The CMs of two States would sit and talk and do not take up illegal projects to steal the rightful water share of one region by the other, if they are sincere and wants to really resolve water disputes among them, he observed.

The CPI leader demanded CM KCR to immediately call for an all-party meeting to discuss the illegal projects taken up by the AP government.

He fired at CM KCR for keeping quite when the AP government brought GO 203 to construct illegal projects on River Krishna to divert water illegally.

Chada criticised the TRS government for taking up Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift irrigation project, which costs Rs 60,000 crore and till now only Rs 10,000 crore was spent. He demanded the State government to immediately take up the pending projects of Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation, Bheema phase 1, 2 and Nettampad projects by allocating just Rs 1,000 crore.

Alleging that the Central government's faulty water sharing policy was the main reason for the water disputes between AP and TS, the CPI leader demanded the Modi government to immediately take cognizance of the issue and resolve it earliest before things go out of hand.

CPI executive members from the erstwhile Mahbubangar district including Bal Narasimha, district secretary B Paramesh Goud, Wanaparthy secretary K Vijay Ramulu, Narayanpet secretary Ch Kondanna, Gadwal secretary B Anjaneyulu and leaders Varla Venkataiah, Ch Anand, Faiaz, B Balakirhsna and others took part in the protest.