Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was given a hero’s welcome in Hyderabad on his return from Mumabi after signing five agreements with the neighboring State of Maharashtra for constructing irrigation projects across river Godavari, Pranahita and Pen Ganga.
The agreements were signed by the officials in in the presence of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis, Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao and other officials.
The two CM also signed an agreement to set up a special Board to monitor the existing and the new irrigation projects between the two States.
Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti mobilised thousands of farmers from Adilabad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts to welcome the Chief Minister and his team. The entire stretch from Begumpet airport to Chief Minister’s residence at Begumpet were painted pink on the occasion as the Chief Minister was taken in a procession. Tousand artistes also performed ahead of the Chariot carrying the Chief Minister during the procession.
Speaking on the occasion, KCR appealed to the farmers not to end their lives due to any distress, “Good days are ahead for Telangana state as these irrigations will help in making the state drought proof”.
“Tuesday’s agreements signed in Mumabi will be written in the history with golden words”, he said thanking his Maharashtra counterpart also. “These projects will help irrigate lands not only in four districts of northern Telangana but also in Nalgonda”, he said. “The water will reach these areas within two and a half years and farmers will be ale to raise two crops”, he said.
KCR also praised his irrigation minister Harish Rao’s hard work for making the agreements possible.
The projects for which the agreements were signed include Kaleshwaram barrage cum lift irrigation project on Pen Ganga river at Rajapet. This was expected to help in irrigating 700,000 acres of lands. Under the MOUs five barrages will be constructed between the two states on different rivers at different places.
While the ruling party was celebrating the agreements with Maharashtra, the opposition Congress attacked it saying the agreements will destroy the future of Telangana. Congress leaders Ponam Prabahakar, Jeevan Reddy and Sridhar Rao demanded a white paper on the agreements with Maharashtra.