Protect Andhra's rights over Krishna river water: Jagan urges CM Naidu

Amaravati, Nov 21 (PTI) YSRCP supremo YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday urged the TDP-led NDA government to protect Andhra Pradesh's rights over Krishna river waters, especially at a time when hearings are coming up before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II.

The former chief minister observed that this is of vital importance in the light of the Telangana government demanding the allocation of 763 TMC of dependable Krishna river water.

"I urge that the TDP-led NDA government act with commitment to the state and protect the state's rights over the Krishna (river) waters," said Reddy in a nine-page letter addressed to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

If the tribunal accedes to Telangana's request, the YSRCP chief noted that Andhra Pradesh will be subjected to severe injustice.

The Andhra Pradesh government has to now present its case and final arguments before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) to prevent unfair reallocation of Krishna river water.

The opposition leader recalled that works related to increasing the Almatti dam height from 519.6 metres to 524.25 metres began when Naidu was the chief minister of united Andhra Pradesh as well as the convener of the United Front in 1996.

"At that time, opposition parties and farmers across united Andhra Pradesh were worried that this development would seriously undermine the state's rights, but Naidu turned a deaf ear," Reddy alleged.

The YSRCP supremo further alleged that this "insincere attitude" later enabled the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal to allow Karnataka to raise the height of the dam.

Further, the TDP government formed in 2014 had also relinquished the state's rights over the Krishna river waters to Telangana, he alleged.

The TDP coalition government should act with commitment at this crucial juncture to the state's rights over the Krishna river waters, he said.

"Even if a situation arises where even one TMC of the 512 TMC of net water allocated by the Bachavat Tribunal were to be lost, the TDP government would be held responsible for it," he added. PTI MS STH KH