Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday alleged that CM KCR was hand in glove with his Andhra Pradesh counterpart in diverting 6.3 tmc of Krishna river water per day from Srisailam reservoir.
“KCR is directly helping Jagan government in the expansion of Pothireddypadu head regulator and construction of Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project (RLIP) on Srisailam reservoir,” he said at a press conference.
Uttam said that the two projects being pursued by the Andhra government would badly hit the farmers of South Telangana and the drinking water supply in Hyderabad. The Jagan government had already called for the tenders for construction of RLIP with a capacity to draw about 3 TMC per day from the bottom of the reservoir and enhance the diversion capacity at Pothireddypadu Head Regulator to more than 80,000 cusecs. This will result in Telangana losing 6.3 TMC of water every day, he said.
"The KCR government has spent over Rs one lakh crore which was borrowed from banks and other financial institutions at huge interest rates to construct Kaleshwaram Project to draw just two TMC of water. It also involves an additional annual cost of nearly Rs 12,000 crore towards interest on loans, electricity, maintenance, manpower, etc. But he is totally silent over losing 6.3 TMC of Krishna River water to Andhra Pradesh which is coming to the State at free of cost through gravity," the PCC chief said.
He said KCR and Jagan were good friends and the latter had even funded YSRCP in the last Assembly elections.
“They interact very frequently and have met several times. KCR must answer as to why he is helping the AP Govt take away Telangana's share in Krishna water. His silence is raising serious suspicions of a secret deal,” Uttam argued.