The Hindu : Paragodu: TDP leaders urge CM to rethink support to Centre

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Paragodu: TDP leaders urge CM to rethink support to Centre

By Our Staff Reporter

AP-KARNATAKA BORDER ON NH-7 JUNE 6. Toeing the line of Opposition parties for the first time, several leaders of the ruling Telugu Desam Party today urged the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, to bring pressure on the Centre to prevail upon Karnataka to stop the construction work on all illegal irrigation projects taken up by the latter or else rethink over the party's support to the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre.

Addressing a public meeting here to protest Karnataka's efforts to construct an anicut across the Chitravati river near Paragodu in Kolar district and other such illegal projects, the TDP leaders insisted upon the Centre to force the Congress Government in Karnataka to fall in line.

The Kurnool MP, K.E. Krishnamurthy, requested the Chief Minister to speak to the Prime Minister, A.B. Vajpayee, to stop Karnataka from going ahead with its illegal irrigation projects.

"Otherwise, we should rethink about our support to the NDA Government, he said. "We (MPs) are ready even to resign our membership in parliament, if necessary'', he offered.

He alleged that Karnataka was trying to deceive others by showing Paragodu as a drinking water project. Six of the 12 illegal projects taken up by Karnataka were already completed and some of the completed ones had affected 25,000 acres in Anantapur district alone already, he noted.

The former minister and Penukonda legislator, Paritala Ravindra, called upon the people to bring pressure on the State Government to explain the factual situation to the Centre and prevail upon it to stop Karnataka progressing ahead with its illegal irrigation projects. We should rethink about our support to the NDA Government, if necessary,'' he said.

Mr. Ravi accused Karnataka of robbing the water belonging to Andhra Pradesh by choking all rivers and rivulets flowing into our State by taking up projects in violation of natural justice and all bilateral agreements. He asked the Karnataka Government to change its attitude or otherwise they (AP) would toughen their stand.

The Minister for Information and Public Relations, S. Chandramohan Reddy, alleged that the S.M. Krishna Government was posing a threat to the federal structure by denying the riparian rights of neighbouring States like Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. He said AP would move the Supreme Court on Upper Tunga project even though it was cleared by the Central Water Commission recently.

Asserting that Andhra Pradesh would allow progress of Paragodu project works, Mr. Reddy said Karnataka was lying blatantly even in their argument that the project was meant for drinking water needs. Against the requirement of 51mcft of drinking water for Bagepalli and Gudibanda towns and several other villages, the Paragodu anicut was designed to store 137 mcft. This clearly exposed the designs of Karnataka that Paragodu would also serve their irrigation needs, he said.

The district president of the TDP, V. Hanumantharaya Chowdary, said Karnataka was misutilising its geographically advantageous positioning by denying the riparian rights of people in the lower reaches. The Anantapur MP, K. Srinivasulu, said their protest was a warning to Karnataka to stop Paragodu works.

The Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development, N. Kistappa, the Zilla Parishad Chairperson, J. Suryanarayana, and several other leaders of the TDP spoke.

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