TS minister asks 5 villages from AP to save Bhadrachalam

Telangana Minister Puvvada Ajay had raised a fresh controversy between the two Telugu states, in the backdrop of flash floods to the Godavari river. His comments have a reason, but not justified, if one goes by the history.

Puvvada Ajay said that the temple town, Bhadrachalam has flood threat from the Godavari river because of the Polavaram project being constructed by Andhra Pradesh government. The temple town, according to him, will be marooned in the flood water at any point of time in future.

He said that the Telangana government had proposed to construct a flood control bank along the river to prevent inundation. However, he wanted transfer of five villages from Andhra Pradesh to Telangana to facilitate the construction of the flood bank.

He said without these five villages delegated to TS from AP, the flood bank can’t be constructed, he said and claimed that the TS MPs were moving a proposal to make amendments to the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, transferring the five villages.

Initially, seven mandals from Khammam districts were transferred to AP at the time of bifurcation of the State in 2014. Puvvada Ajay is now asking five villages from these seven mandals to be given back to Telangana.

But, the question is that Bhadrachalam originally belonged to Andhra Pradesh. They were part of Andhra Pradesh, to be specific, were part of the Godavari districts. They were merged with Khammam district for the benefit of administration after Andhra was merged with Telangana in 1956.

The Congress rulers have ignored this historical fact when they were bifurcating the state in 2014. Since the TS minister had raised the issue of flood threat to Bhadrachalam, it is better if TS gives back Bhadrachalam to AP, restoring AP’s original rights over the temple town, rather than asking for five villages from AP.