Telangana Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao said that he prefers to resolve the water disputes with its neighbouring States by holding dialogue instead of fighting legal battles.
Interacting with the members of Bajaj Committee, which was constituted by the Centre to resolve dispute over distribution of Krishna River water, the Chief Minister said officials of both the States could sit, discuss and resolve the issue of distribution of Krishna water.
Stating that Telangana wants water and not disputes, he said the interest of farmers of any State was equally important to him. He said there was availability of nearly 4,000 TMC of water Krishna and Godavari. Of this, nearly 2,000 to 3,000 TMC goes waste into the sea. Therefore, he said Telangana Government was making efforts to make full utilisation of this water.
The Chief Minister advised Bajaj Committee to convince Andhra Pradesh Government to make use of Godavari waters by shifting them to coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions.
He recalled that the discrimination over allocation of water was one of the major reasons for Telangana movement. Therefore, he said his government was trying to undo the injustices done to Telangana in the past. “Water was one of the main reasons for separate Telangana movement. So we will not compromise on the issue. We will fully utilise our share of water,” he added.
KCR said there should be clarity on how water would be distributed during drought season and also how the surplus water would be utilised. He said that the inflows into Telangana got reduced due to construction of multiple dams in Karnataka and Maharashtra. He also sought the intervention of Central Government on the issue.
He alleged neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka are constructing projects on rivers which are depriving the rights of lower riparian States.
