Address all issues before division: Yerneni

Vijayawada: Rythu Sangham leader Yerneni Nagendranadh, here on Wednesday, asked the UPA government to address issues concerning the Seemandhra people before dividing the State, if division was inevitable. Participating in the Meet the Press programme organised by the local Press Club, Nagendranadh said that the issues like electricity and water would have to be taken on priority and the government should give clear assurances to the Seemandhra people on them. In addition to this, the government should also have to give clarity on the status of Hyderabad, giving protection to the Seemandhra people living in the capital.

He said that the Krishna delta, having more than 150-year-old history, had to be protected with assured water from Krishna river. He said that the delta was denied its riparian rights and the farmers in the delta had to depend on rain water in the downstream of Nagarjunsagar. He further said that the Krishna district under the Zone III of Nagarjunsagar left canal was never given water in the united State and feared that the zone would never get water if the State is divided.

Nagendranadh wanted the early completion of Polavaram and Dummugudem projects if the agriculture in Krishna and Godavari deltas was to be protected. He stressed the need to get the clear assurances from the Central government if the State was to be divided. He also wanted the Telangana Rastra Samiti leaders to agree to give water for the delta and allow both the projects to be completed as only that would protect the interests of the people here.

He wanted the government to merge Khammam district with Andhra to protect the agriculture interests of the region. If that was not done, he said the Andhra would have to forget agriculture, which had been their base for several years. He also feared that the two States would have to face water wars if the issues were not addressed with clarity.