AP blocking water sharing: Harish Rao

​New Delhi: Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Wednesday accused AP of thwarting Telangana efforts to amicably arrive at a solution on sharing of Krishna water between the two States.

Speaking to media after his brief meeting with his AP counterpart, Devineni Uma Maheswar Rao, on Wednesday evening and consequent to the failure of the meeting of the officials in arriving at any working arrangement, Harish Rao said Telangana was helpless in this regard.

What Telangana wanted was sticking to the provisions of AP Reorganisation Act and AP's argument that all projects be brought under the Krishna Water Management Board (KWMB) was ridiculous. There was no way that the KWMB decide on allocation of water to the States as its brief was to just regulate water distribution.

The Minister lambasted AP argument that Telangana was complicating the issue by its obstinacy adding that it was AP which was creating unnecessary ruckus and making irrational demands. The demand of AP that the management of Nagarjunasagar Right Canal be handed over to it was not only absurd but also hilarious.

Telangana had no intentions of troubling AP or make its farmers' suffer, but the latter should note that releasing water for a third crop in AP depriving Hyderabad its drinking water was not possible.

There was a problem last year as instead of the expected 811 tmc ft of water, only 191 tmc ft was available in Krishna and hence there was a delay in releasing extra water to AP which had already consumed its quota of water.

Even then, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was magnanimous enough to release 17 tmc ft of water when AP requested as he did not want the farmers in AP to suffer.

Another weird argument of AP was that all projects be brought under the purview of the KWMB as it was only seeking "all projects of Telangana" while seeking exemption to the AP projects. Telangana was not even averse to this suggestion as it would not mind doing so. But, if all projects on Krishna were to be included, there was no problem for Telangana. However, to do so, the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal must complete its Award.

Telangana Government requested Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti to direct the tribunal to complete its job as soon as possible. Once it was done there would be no objection from the Telangana government at all if complete management of all projects was handed over to KWMB, he added.

Warning the Centre of a large-scale agitation if it continued its anti-Telangana stand, Harish Rao, said it was unfortunate that the Centre was more considerate towards the demands of AP.

Telangana would not forego its right over water and would not keep quiet if any injustice was forced on it. AP should also keep in mind the fact that being an upper riparian State, Telangana had certain advantages and could make AP face music.

On the agitations of TDP, Congress and the Left against the new projects of Telangana, he said the opposition was only competing against one another to stall development of Telangana.

These were the same parties which agitated in the past for different reasons while adopting an exact opposite stand now.Telangana was interested in setting disputes amicably with its neighbours, he said and AP was no exception.