No question of accepting interlinking of rivers: Vinod Kumar

On April 15, 2024, the Centre also sent a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to different States including Telangana seeking their nod for the interlinking of rivers project.

Karimnagar : BRS candidate for Karimnagar Lok Sabha constituency B Vinod Kumar found fault with the BJP-led Centre for launching a new drama in the name of interlinking of rivers.

On April 15, 2024, the Centre also sent a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to different States including Telangana seeking their nod for the interlinking of rivers project.

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Stating that he did not know how the State government would respond to the issue, Vinod Kumar said there was no question of accepting the interlinking of rivers without finalizing the State’s water share and getting the Centre’s clearance for Sammakka-Sarakka, Sitarama, Wardha, Kaleshwaram’s additional tmc projects being constructed in the State. As part of interlinking of rivers, the Centre was planning to take Godavari water to Tamil Nadu by constructing a multipurpose project at Inchampalli.

Water would be taken to Krishna river from where water would be shifted to Cauvery.

This would mean severe injustice to the erstwhile Karimnagar, Warangal, Nizamabad, and Medak districts since Godavari was the only water source for Telangana, he said.

Vinod Kumar expressed doubts over the Centre’s hurry in the interlinking of Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery rivers before the elections though no survey was done to link Ganga and Mahanadi rivers so far.

BJP was conspiring to shift Telangana water to other States, he said. In 1995, the then Chief Minister NT Rama Rao carried out a survey for the Inchampalli project.

However, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh had opposed the project. Stating that Telangana would lose its riparian rights on Godavari water if interlinking of rivers were taken up, he said the centre should stop its moves and talk about it only after clarifying Telangana’s water share and giving clearances to irrigation projects, adding that the four BJP MPs from the State never talked about getting clearance for the projects.