Harish opposes Godavari-Cauvery river linking project

Hyderabad: BRS senior leader and former minister T Harish Rao has strongly objected to the inclusion of the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project in the agenda of the National Board for Dam Safety (NBDS) meeting scheduled for November 3, alleging that the move would undermine Telangana’s water rights.

Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan on Saturday, Harish Rao alleged that the Centre had acted promptly on a letter written by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on October 7 and included the issue in the meeting agenda without adequately considering Telangana’s interests.

Accusing Chandrababu Naidu of attempting to divert Godavari waters for Andhra Pradesh, Harish Rao alleged that Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was remaining silent on the issue as a form of “gurudakshina” to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart.

He asserted that Telangana’s interests could be protected only if the river-linking project was taken up through the Sammakka Sagar project. He alleged that the Centre’s proposal to route the interlinking project through Bollepalli, which he claimed would be under Andhra Pradesh’s control, was part of a larger conspiracy against Telangana.

The BRS leader said the previous BRS government had secured half of the clearances required for Sammakka Sagar. However, he alleged that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) had been returned due to the negligence of the present Congress government. Demanding an immediate apology from Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to the people of Telangana, Harish Rao questioned whether the Centre was giving greater weight to Andhra Pradesh’s demands because the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had 16 MPs in the NDA.

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