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APCC chief holds meet on Pothireddypadu

Special Correspondent

Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah makes power point presentation

ON THE OFFENSIVE: Legislator Marri Shashidhar Reddy having a word with PCC vice-president K.R. Amos in Hyderabad on Tuesday as P. Janardhan Reddy, MLA, looks on. — Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

HYDERABAD: APCC president K. Keshava Rao convened a meeting of party leaders here on Tuesday to discuss the controversy over the increase in the height of Pothireddypadu head regulator to draw water from the Krishna.

At the meeting at Gandhi Bhavan, Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah made a power point presentation to the party leaders who included P. Janardhan Reddy, M. Sashidhar Reddy, MLAs, V. Hanumantha Rao, MP, M. Kodanda Reddy, Palvai Goverdhan Reddy and P.Narasa Reddy, APCC leaders.

Sources said Mr. Janardhan Reddy and Mr. Sashidhar Reddy stuck to their demand for stopping work on the Pothireddypadu forthwith on the ground that it would jeopardise the interests of Telangana. Mr. Hanumantha Rao reportedly expressed concern over the fate of Nalgonda farmers if the height of the head regulator was increased.

Mr. Lakshmaiah explained that the new regulator was designed for drawal of only 44,000 cusecs of water when the Srisailam project was at 880 feet. On Mr. Janardhan Reddy's demand that a weir be constructed at 880 feet, Mr. Lakshmaiah said this was not feasible on the foreshore of the river. Construction of a weir at such a height was expensive, he reportedly pointed out, adding that it would result in submergence of some areas in Kurnool town and also the Kurnool-Vijayawada State Highway.

On the doubts about the adverse impact on supply of drinking water to the twin cities, the Minister clarified that there would be no problem. As per the national water policy, supply of drinking water gets top priority, he said and added that drinking water schemes had priority over floodwater based schemes.

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