BRS launches ‘Chalo Karnataka’ campaign, warns of threat to Telangana’s water rights

BRS leaders launched their 'Chalo Karnataka' campaign, accusing Karnataka of blocking Krishna, Bhima and Tungabhadra waters through illegal projects and hydraulic gates. They demanded immediate release of water, completion of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, and vowed to continue agitation to safeguard Telangana’s water rights.

Mahabubnagar: BRS leaders on Sunday launched their ‘Chalo Karnataka’ campaign by inspecting illegal barrages, check dams and hydraulic gates built by Karnataka on Krishna and Bhima Rivers.

A delegation led by former ministers V. Srinivas Goud, C. Laxma Reddy and S. Niranjan Reddy, along with former MLAs, MLCs and senior leaders from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, visited Gudur in Karnataka to inspect hydraulic gates constructed across the Krishna River. They accused the neighbouring State of obstructing water flows meant for Telangana.

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Addressing the media, Srinivas Goud alleged that Karnataka’s projects on the Krishna, Bhima and Tungabhadra rivers were depriving Telangana of its rightful share of water. He said the hydraulic gates were preventing even a drop of water from flowing downstream and demanded their immediate removal. He also sought the release of at least 4 TMCft of water from the Tungabhadra reservoir, stating that Telangana had a legitimate share in its waters.

He accused the Congress government in Telangana of neglecting the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and warned that Mahabubnagar would face severe drought if the remaining works were not completed immediately. He also criticised the appointment of irrigation adviser Adityanath Das, alleging that he had earlier opposed Telangana’s irrigation projects while serving in Andhra Pradesh.

Laxma Reddy said Karnataka’s upstream projects and the State government’s failure to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project were threatening irrigation in the region. He pointed out that water reaching Telangana from upstream had now stopped due to the installation of hydraulic gates. He urged the State government to safeguard Telangana’s water rights and complete the pending works on the lift irrigation project.

Stating that the BRS had transformed the Palamuru region by completing pending irrigation projects after Telangana’s formation, he said the party would not allow the district to turn into a desert again. “There will be no compromise on Telangana’s water rights,” he asserted.

Niranjan Reddy remarked that illegal projects by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) were preventing Tungabhadra waters from reaching Telangana, affecting farmers in the drought-prone Mahabubnagar region. He asserted that the party would continue its agitation until Telangana’s water interests were protected.