Vijayawada, April 10: Sensing historical importance of getting `rightful share’ of Krishna waters, the State Government should place its argument before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal to protect the interests of farmers, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu has said.
Addressing party activists and farmers in sweltering heat around 1.15 pm during the party’s Maha Dharna on the Prakasam Barrage, Naidu said Chief Minister K Rosaiah should come forward to air arguments before the tribunal. Otherwise, the State would lose heavily and lakhs of acres of fields in the Krishna delta would be deprived of water, he warned. Thanking people for extending support to the Maha Dharna braving heat, the Leader of the Opposition criticised the Congress governments in the State and at the Centre for keeping mum while the Maharashtra and Karnataka Governments were constructing several projects on Godavari and Krishna rivers.
“While the Karnataka Government tried to increase the height of Almatti dam to a height of 524 ft during the United Front rule, the TDP, then in power in the State, opposed it. He said he had convened an all-party meeting and went to Delhi to represent the matter to the then prime minister Deve Gowda. Based on the representation of Telugu Desam, the Central Government constituted a five-member committee with chief ministers, which suggested that the Almatti dam height should be limited to 519 metres. He said NTR was the first person who proposed projects on Krishna and Godavari rivers to utilise the surplus waters.
Objecting to the comments of Minister for Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmiah on the Maha Dharna, he said the comments showed his irresponsible attitude towards farmers’ welfare. Describing the minister as `Uttara Kumara’, Naidu said the minister failed to express his protest though the Maharashtra Govenment had taken up Babhali project on the Godavari. Maharashtra people did not even allow the minister to enter their State to express his protest.
Describing the Congress government’s Jalayagnam as `Dhanayagnam’, the former chief minister said the government had failed to protect the interests of farmers who were deprived of minimum support price for the agricultural produce. Fearing a massive response to the maha dharna, the government initially denied permission for it on the pretext of safety of the barrage. The TDP government had allotted Rs 40 crore in 2000 to strengthen the barrage, he recalled.
TDP leaders from Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts participated in the dharna. Former ministers including Kodela Sivaprasada Rao, S Aruna, Lal Jan Basha, Alapati Rajendra Prasad, Narasaraopet MP M Venugopala Reddy, former MP Gadde Rammohan, MLAs Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Ambati Brahmanaiah and Nakka Anand Babu, former mayor Panchumarthi Anuradha, TDP corporators and others also took part in the protest.
–Agencies