State govt. not serious about Banakacherla issue: BRS

HYDERABAD

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has alleged that the Congress government in the State is not serious about the Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project aimed at diverting 200 tmc ft of Godavarai water initially to the non-basin areas at the cost of riparian rights of Telangana.

Speaking to newspersons here on Tuesday, BRS leaders G. Jagadish Reddy, Dr. M. Anand, R. Ravindra Kumar, N. Bhaskar Rao, O. Narsimha Reddy and others said lack of seriousness on the issue was evident in the lacklustre discussion on it in the Cabinet meeting held on Monday. After injustice to Telangana in the matter of Krishna waters, the A.P. government was conspiring to do the same in the matter of Godavari waters.

The A.P.’s plans were mostly fuelled by the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre was surviving on the Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) support and its Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was trying to parch the lands of Telangana with the illegal diversion of water. Instead of demanding for an immediate meeting of the Apex Council, the Telangana government had reportedly decided to invite Mr. Naidu for talks, the BRS leaders said.

They stated that A.P. was trying to dub the ongoing row over Godavari waters issue as the tussle between political parties. Mr. Naidu was trying to deceive people by terming the Polavaram-Banakacherla project as part of the Godavari-Cauvery link, the BRS leaders said and noted that Chhattisgarh had already opposed the Godavari-Cauvery link.

They suggested that there was a need for unity among all political parties in the State on the Banakacherla project issue to oppose the A.P.’s project being taken up in violation of the riparian rights, AP Reorganisation Act and others.