Hyderabad: The Telangana Cabinet is set to meet on June 24 to address the ongoing dispute over the Bankacharla project with Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy emphasized a desire for peaceful dialogue rather than conflict as he spoke to the media before departing New Delhi.
Reddy prefers resolving water disputes amicably. With increasing disagreements over river waters among southern states, he stated that maintaining good relationships with neighboring states is crucial. His focus is on dialogue to solve disputes with AP, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Reddy criticized former leaders K Chandrashekar Rao and T Harish Rao for politicizing the Bankacharla issue. He blamed them for allowing AP to lift water from the Godavari River during a 2016 Apex Council meeting. Meetings between AP and Telangana leaders in 2019 further complicated the situation.
Reddy questioned why former CM KCR remained silent about AP’s government orders regarding Bankacharla in 2016 and 2018. He also criticized Union Minister G Kishan Reddy for failing to protect Telangana’s water interests. Reddy accused Kishan Reddy of aligning with KTR, acting as a liaison for the Union Minister.
He further criticized KCR for not effectively utilizing over Rs 2 lakh crore spent on the Kaleshwaram project, which has failed to irrigate even 50,000 acres due to damage to the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages.
Reddy alleged that the Union government neglected Telangana’s irrigation projects and questioned why it favored the Polavaram project despite Telangana’s objections. He questioned the intention behind approving the Bankacharla project without proper water allocations.
Reddy suggested that PM Narendra Modi supports AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu to maintain a coalition government, and accused the BRS of using water disputes to maintain their political influence in Telangana.
