The row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the sharing of river Krishna waters and power has escalated with the Telangana Chief Minister declaring that he will drag his Andhra Pradesh counterpart to Supreme Court.
After a detailed discussion on the issue in State Cabinet, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao launched a blistering attack on N Chandrababu Naidu holding him squarely responsible for the acute power crisis in his State.
Using sobriquets like “cheat” and “shaitan” (evil) for Naidu, KCR said that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister was enemy of Telangana farmers and he was trying to destroy them to project the Telangana Government as a failure.
The two States are locked in a fierce political duel over the issue of power generation in the left bank canal power house of Srisailam project. While Andhra Pradesh Government was demanding to stop the generation of 750 MW of power from this plant and also stopping the release of water from Srisailam project, KCR has rejected it outright. “There is no question of stopping power generation as Telangana has a right to utilise the water of Srisailam till the level in the reservoir comes down to 834 feet from the present 857 feet.
Challenging Naidu for a public debate either in Hyderabad or in Vijayawada on Srisailam waters issue, KCR said, “He is responsible for creating a power crisis in the State by violating the direction of Central Electricity Authority and AP State Electricity Regulatory on power sharing”.
He said that under the AP State Reorganisation Act, Telangana’s share in electricity was fixed at 53.89 per cent but the Andhra Pradesh Government was depriving it of its due share. He also alleged that Naidu was pressurising the Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharati to force Krishna Water Management Board to stop power generation.
KCR appealed to Prime Minister Narendar Modi to discharge his duty of protecting the legitimate rights of Telangana. He alleged that the Union Government had become silent spectator of the injustice to Telangana ever since its formation.
“The AP Chief Minister is flouting the Act and as the Prime Minister you have to come to the rescue of Telangana”, he said.
KCR said that the State Government was talking to the best lawyers in the country to challenge two previous GOs Number 69 and 107 on maintaining water level of Srisailam and Nagarjunasgar projects. “We will move our petition before Supreme Court on Monday or Tuesday”, he said.
Warning Naidu not to play with fire, KCR recalled that it was the Naidu Government, which had fixed the level of 835 feet up to which water can be drawn form Srisailam. When the YSR Government tried to increase it Naidu and his Telugu Desam Party had agitated against it.
Giving an example of how Telangana was being deprived of its rightful share in electricity generated in both the States, he said Krishnapatnam Thermal Power Project was deliberately shut down to create a crisis in Telangana.
“Naidu is treating this project as his Jagir”, he said pointing out that Telangana had invested `1,050 crore in this project and it should get 54% power from this plant.
Situation has turned explosive because power crisis in Telangana had worsened to the level that crops were getting destroyed. Farmers were on war path and an estimated 250 crisis ridden farmers have committed in the State over the last four months.
Telugu Desam has also launched an agitation in Telangana demanding sufficient power supply to the farmers.
While KCR thundered that Naidu was playing a dirty political game on the issue, many TDP leaders on Saturday countered his allegations. “It is KCR who is playing politics. He was blaming Naidu for the failure of his Government”, said TDP floor leader in Telangana assembly E Dayakar Rao.
Apart from the TDP the state BJP state leader G Kishan Reddy has also demanded an all party meeting on the issue of power crisis.