Water war under Cong. govt: KTR
Stepping up its attack on the Congress Government, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao has alleged that the ‘water war’ has begun in Telangana under the present regime.
Continuing to target Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and the Congress, Mr. Rama Rao at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday said, “The CM is crying hoarse on the drought situation. However, the reality is that women are on the roads with empty pots to get drinking water.”
He said that while the previous government focused on ensuring drinking water and irrigation, the Congress regime is more interested in wooing leaders of other political parties into its fold. “The BRS government had ensured that right from hamlets (tandas) to Hyderabad, there was never a day when water was not supplied to people,” he said.
Treating provision of potable drinking water as a human rights, the previous regime had taken up Mission Bhagiratha by spending ₹38,000 crore and saw to it that for the next 50 years, there was no water scarcity in the Twin Cities. The Congress Government is unable to provide proper drinking water to the people, Mr. Rama Rao said adding that no sooner K. Chandrasekhar Rao stepped down as the CM, water tankers have made a big comeback.
Generators, tankers
In a sarcastic tone, Mr. Rama Rao said presently the State is witnessing investors, generators and now water tankers. The water tanker operators are charging three times the normal rates, he alleged. “This is not natural water scarcity but a situation brought in by the inefficient Congress,” he lamented.
He wondered when the State had recorded 14 percent excess rainfall, where is the question of water crisis. “There is water stored in irrigation projects but government does not want to use it to protect the withering standing crops. Instead of opening gates to encourage defections, it will be sensible to lift gates to provide irrigation to the standing crops,” he noted.
He pointed out that instead of focussing its energy on phonetapping, it would be better to tap water resources. He wondered when there was sufficient water in Nagarjunasagar, Yellampally, Himayatsagar and Osmansagar, where was the need for people to book water tankers. He demanded the Chief Minister to answer why people should suffer for want of drinking water.
He said there was water in Nagarjunasagar that is enough to meet one year’s drinking water needs of the State capital. But, why is Hyderabad facing such severe drinking water crisis, he questioned. He bemoaned that the people of Telangana have to depend on the Delhi elders’ blessings to get the water. He faulted the Congress regime for neglecting the Sunkesula project, which is 75% complete.
He said that the Chief Minister had developed grudge against KCR and was going out of his way to show Kaleshwaram project in poor light. “If the government had repaired Medigadda project and started the pumps, not even one acre would have been affected,” he said.