Congress bats for meet to defuse water sharing row

​Hyderabad: The Congress on Saturday demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao convene an all-party meeting to find a solution to the ongoing dispute in sharing of waters of River Godavari and Krishna.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Deputy Floor Leader in Legislative Council Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy said the meeting would work out a solution for dispute. While emphasising the need for discussing the issue at an all-party meeting, he noted that the objections raised by both Telugu States, Telangana and AP, in front of Krishna Tribunal should be discussed within the State.

The meeting, he said, would provide scope for discussing the pending and new irrigation projects taken up in both the States of Telangana and AP. Sudhakar Reddy questioned the rationale behind changing the tender process from 2AN-B to 3 AN-B for irrigation projects. He held that the tender process was changed without the discussing it in legislature.

He cautioned that the ruling party would lose credibility and trust of the masses, if the entire process was not transparent. He also asked the government to explain about the “Swiss Challenge” method and how it would benefit in execution of irrigation projects.

He also raised the issue of Mallannasagar project which drew criticism in the backdrop of the government failing to acquire land under the Land Acquisition Act 2013.