Major & Medium Irrigation Minister P. Sudarshan Reddy has refuted the media reports that water from Nagarjuna Sagar dead storage level was released to the Krishna delta at the cost of Telangana farmers. Asserting that there was no truth in the media reports to this effect, he appealed to the Opposition parties not to politicize every issue and stir up emotions.
Speaking to the media after meeting Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy this morning, he said that there was danger of about Rs 4,900-crore crop loss if water was not made available to agricultural fields under Krishna delta. Stating that it was a regular practice that water from Nagarjuna Sagar was released to the Krishna delta every year by June 25, the minister said the Chief Minister reviewed the situation with him and Irrigation officials after five days and ordered release of water to Krishna delta immediately. The Chief Minister had advised the Irrigation and Revenue officials to coordinate with each other on the issue as water in Nagarjuna Sagar and Prakasam barrage touched dead storage level, he added. However, the leaders of Telangana region have taken serious objection to the government’s decision, he bemoaned.
Meanwhile, not only the Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders, but also Congress leaders of Telangana region took cudgels against the Chief Minister’s decision to release water to Krishna delta even as the water in Nagarjuna Sagar reached dead storage level. Alleging that Telangana farmers were being discriminated by the government, TRS leader T Harish Rao demanded that Major Irrigation Minister step down from office immediately. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member from Telangana Palvai Govardhan Reddy also stoutly opposed the Chief Minister’s decision. (NSS)