The tale of two GOs

• One did injustice to Rayalaseema
• The other did over justice to Telangana

Kurnool: The two orders issued by the State Government on a single day caused a rift between two Cabinet ministers. The State Government issued Memo No. 5231 on August 8 stopping altogether the construction of a reservoir at Gundrevula on Tungabhadra River and on the same day Go No 72 was issued to construct Palamuru lift irrigation to provide irrigation and drinking water to three districts in Telangana.

Minister for Minor Irrigation T G Venkatesh told newsmen here on Sunday that he was hurt by the two government orders were issued causing injustice to Rayalaseema and doing over-justice to Telangana. The Gundrevula project supposed to be constructed on Tungabhadra River in the name of Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy would help to harness the flood water to irrigate two lakh acres in Kurnool district and onelakh acres in Kadapa district. He said that he did not understand the necessity to issue the order overnight scrapping the project altogether. The order 72 issued on the same day would pave way to construct the Palamuru lift irrigation that would take away 72 tmc of water, supposed to be utilized for Rayalaseema, to Telangana.

Once the Palamuru lift irrigation project was completed, the Seemandhra areas would turn desert. Demanding clarification over these two government orders, the minister said that he would not attend any meeting in future if he did not get the clarification over the GO 72 which would take away water from Rayalseema.

He said that he did not attend the meeting organised by the chief minister with the ministers for Seemandha. The minister lamented that the minister for major irrigation did not respond to the phone call when he tried to contact him on the GO 72. The minister said that he would participate in the Samaikyandhra agitation henceforth and his future course of action would be as per the programme of the Samaikyandhra Parirakshana Vedika.