ESL to KCR: Release Krishna water to AP on humanitarian grounds; Chandrababu hopeful?

Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao today called on Governor ESL Narasimhan over the issue of Krishna water row and the incidents at the Nagarjunasagar Dam yesterday.

The Governor met them together for 15 minutes and also later separately to hear their versions of the incident and also their case on the Krishna water sharing formulae.

Sources at the Raj Bhavan said that the Governor urged both the CMs to resolve the issue through negotiations and not to allow the differences percolate down to grassroot level lest a full scale disturbance explode.

Presenting his case Chandrababu Naidu aided by his irrigation officials and Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswar Rao said his priority was to save standing crops in Guntur and Prakasam belt which were withering due to lack of water. About water sharing,he said Telangana was not following the norms.

Telengana CM Chandrasekhar Rao said it was the case of criminal calling the innocent guilty. We have the right to use Krishna water as per our requirement and as such AP had already exhausted their share and now wants our share as well. "They are claiming right over water that does not belong to them and the KRMB has categorically already clarified," KCR asserted.

KCR said that the AP wants to earn sympathy by showing withering crops for want of Krishna waters, but does not give a satisfactory response as to how it becomes their share and why they are over exploiting Krishna water?

Sources said Governor impressed upon the Telangana CM on the humanitarian aspect of withering crops in 6 lakh acres for which KCR said "We are not inhuman, but it should be made clear that it is only a 'One time Request Release' and cannot become a precedent." Any way he said let the KRMB make an appeal and we will consider.