Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has criticized BRS leaders for their decade-long neglect of efforts to secure a larger share of Krishna waters for Telangana, accusing them of hypocrisy by now advocating for ethical governance.
He emphasized that it was the Congress government that initially recognized the need for an increased water share for Telangana, leading to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II) agreeing to review the allocations, thanks to a strong legal initiative undertaken by the government. The Congress party has consistently fought for a fair distribution aligned with the region’s catchment area and agricultural needs.
Reddy pointed out that during the BRS’s ten years in power, there was a significant failure to secure water rights, highlighting that the former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had signed a controversial agreement that compromised the state’s interests. This agreement allocated 299 tmcft to Telangana and 512 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh from a total of 811 tmcft, which Reddy described as a grave injustice to Telangana. “Didn’t BRS leaders agree to these temporary allocations every year?” he questioned.
Additionally, he noted that the Centre had repeatedly extended the deadline for the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, established to allocate water from the joint state period. “Why was there no urgency in the last decade to finalize these allocations?” he asked. “Since our administration took charge, we have intensified efforts to compel the Union government to expedite water distribution.”
Published – January 18, 2025 04:30 am IST
