Legal measures for water provision in drought hit Rayalaseema

Kadapa: Rayalaseema Karmika Karshaka Samathi (RKKS) President CH Chandrasekar Reddy has urged both Central and state governments to take appropriate legal measures to provide assured water to perennially drought-hit Rayalaseema region. Instead of taking concrete steps to address the issue, both the Governments are only giving false promises, he alleged.

Reddy, a veteran trade union leader fighting for the cause of Rayalaseema for the past three decades alleged that Rayalaseema people were deceived by their own regional leaders since independence, due to their political ambitions and the same situation is continuing even today. Explaining about water allocation he noted that the Brijesh Mishra Tribunal has distributed every drop of water in river Krishna, including surplus waters project-wise to three states. Now it is not easy to give water to this region without getting allotment through tribunal, he added.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had on many occasions assured that his government is committed to provide water to Rayalaseema by completing Pattiseema and Polavaram projects and by river linkage which, Reddy said, is without legal sanctity. He also noted that the BJP, in its election manifesto in 2014, has committed to give 210 TMC assured water to Rayalaseema, as also the TDP. Without water allocation by the Tribunal, “how will the state and Centre can provide water to this region”, he asked while talking reporters.

The Central government, with its authority, referring the issue of water allocation to the drought areas to the Tribunal, is the only legal way to provide water to Rayalaseema region and Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh and Mahaboobnagar district in Telangana, he opined and added that this is the appropriate time for the Chief Ministers of AP and Telangana and other political parties to prevail over the prime minister and central cabinet to get a fresh reference to the Tribunal, whose mandate has been extended by two years, Reddy said.

Though the state can distribute water within the state, it is not done due to lack of political will and consensus, he alleged. All ruling parties, headed by Rayalaseema leaders, have cheated this region since independence. He appealed to all the political parties and leaders, particularly hailing from drought regions, to fight for getting assured water to this region with legal sanctity and allow the people to live without opting for migration, which is a common phenomenon in this area.