CM: Telangana will stand to lose much

His speech in Assembly marred by interruptions Explains disadvantages, harm due to bifurcation

• No T project will get water, power if AP is divided
• We will lose the status of basin State if divided’
• We backed Pranahita; Why do you oppose Polavaram?
• Not even a tonne of coal given to Andhra region

Hyderabad: Reiterating that the Telangana region will lose much if the State is divided, Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has charged the T protagonists with ‘spreading disinformation campaign’ that the Andhra rulers have been looting the resources from the region. Kiran, who resumed his speech on Thursday afternoon, made a forceful presentation with statistical data for well over an hour which was marred by disruptions from TRS and BJP members.

Unfazed, Kiran said: "Unfortunately, successive Chief Ministers have not taken the matter seriously, resulting in the increase of hatred between the people of the two regions. That is why I am laying bare the facts behind this false propaganda on the floor of the House in order to create awareness among the people." Kiran said that in 1956 the State was provided with water to irrigate 62 per cent area which included 12.3 per cent in Rayalaseema and 25 per cent in Telangana.

Right from 1956 to date, the ayacut created in Andhra region was 40.96 per cent. In Rayalaseema, it was 13.36 per cent and in Telangana it was 45.68 per cent.

The amount spent on irrigation, he said, was Rs 31,360 crore (39.5%) in Andhra, Rs 25,855 crore (25.5%) in Rayalaseema and Rs 43,150 crore (43.5%) in Telangana. Right from 1984, the government spent Rs 85,000 crore on irrigation, of which over 46 per cent was spent in Telangana.

If the State got bifurcated, Telangana would become an upper riparian state and this would adversely affect several irrigation projects. The ongoing projects in T region require another Rs 12,700 crore to be completed. It would become difficult for the new State to mobilize such huge money. Even other minor and medium irrigation projects in Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda would also come to halt, Kiran said.

If the State remains as one, he said, adjustment of water resources would become easy even during extreme floods as there would be unified command. He said that constituting boards like Bhakranangal Authority would be of no use. In Bhakranangal, the project chief was shot dead for mismanaging things, he told the TRS members who raised objection.

Questioning the TRS and the Telangana leadership why they had been opposing Polavaram project when none of the Seemandhra leaders opposed Pranahita-Chevella project, Kiran said: “We urged the Union Government to declare Pranahita as a national project. In fact, Pranahitha does not have any inter-state disputes whereas Polavaram has been objected to by Orissa and Chhattisgarh.”

Stating that 86 percent of the projects in Telangana region were based on lift Irrigation, Kiran said,“it requires about 175 million units of power and funds to the tune of Rs 62,000 crore to complete them. If divided, completion of these projects would take a beating.”

Chief Minister rejected allegations that the coal had been diverted to Andhra plants. “Let me tell you, not even a single tonne of coal was allotted to Andhra region from Singareni Collieries. Coal allocation is being done by the Centre and not the State. While the Rayalaseema plants are allotted nearly 38% coal, the remaining coal is being utilised in Telangana region only,” he said.

Stating that he does not nurse any ill-will against the Telangana region, he said he was only trying to explain the challenges of bifurcation.