Water row: Telangana set to counter AP

KCR armed with enough ammo to take on sibling State at Apex Council meet today

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who is known for his vast knowledge of various aspects of irrigation, agriculture and other sectors, as also for his meticulous planning and homework, will have enough ammo in his arsenal to counter Andhra Pradesh’s AP arguments on the various contentious issues of river water sharing in both Krishna and Godavari basins at the second meeting of the Apex Council on Tuesday.

The meeting, called for by Jal Shakthi Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat after a long gap of four years, will look into river water sharing disputes between the two Telugu States with the Chief Ministers of both the States participating in the deliberations.

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Telangana, which achieved freedom from the shackles of an exploitative political class of Andhra Pradesh after a long and hard fought struggle spanning over six decades, has matured and emerged as a progressive and dynamic State within a short period of six years.

Despite the gross injustice heaped on it, particularly on river water allocation for the parched region, and the exploitation and deception on other fronts perpetrated by successive governments in the undivided State, the Chief Minister bore no grudge against the sibling State. He was, in fact, vocal on several occasions while asserting that he viewed farmers on either side of the border with the same compassion, and that he would like the natural resources to be shared in a manner that would be beneficial to both the States.

Rao has time and again pointed out that he firmly believed in the philosophy of ‘live and let live,’ something he demonstrated during the negotiations with the neighbouring Maharashtra before taking up the mega Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, essentially a re-engineered version of the Pranahita Chevella project proposed under the undivided State.

The Chief Minister, willing as he is to listen to others viewpoints and accommodate just and meaningful suggestions, however, made it clear that when it comes to protecting the interests of Telangana State for which he waged a long battle, he was ready to take on anyone, the Centre included.

 

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