CONGRESS HAS TWO STANDS: HARISH RAO

Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao asked the Opposition, especially the Congress, not to bring sentiments into the issue of water releases.

He said the government was interested in the development of the entire state and not of any particular district in ensuring sufficient release of water to enable farmers raise crops.

He was replying to a question in the Council and referred to the ongoing protests over the release of water from the Singur dam to Nizamsagar and Sriramsagar projects. He said the decision to release water was taken to save standing crops.

He said Congress leaders were making everything political and raking up sentiments. He said while Congress leaders from Medak and Sangareddy districts were demanding that water from Singur dam not be released, their colleagues in other districts were demanding more water.

He said the previous Congress government had denied the Medak district and supplied Singur dam water to Hyderabad. “With what right are they leaders now making different demands,” he said.

Mr Harish Rao said said 16 tmc ft of water would be retained at the Singur dam and the rest of the storage would be diverted to downstream projects to save crops.

He said in view of the shrinking storage at the Sriramsagar dam due to siltation and reduced inflows, the government had taken up the scheme to supply water to Nizamabad and Karimnagar with the help of Kaleswaram water diversion.