The Hindu : Front Page : Ponnala's challenge on Pothireddypadu

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 09, 2007
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Ponnala's challenge on Pothireddypadu

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah has offered to share a common platform for a debate to disprove charges made by critics against increase in discharge capacity of Pothireddypadu head-regulator of Srisailam dam. He has said that he is prepared to resign from the Cabinet if their charges are proved otherwise, they must quit their positions.

Condemning the charges levelled by Telangana Rashtra Samiti president K. Chandrasekhara Rao and T. Devender Goud of the Telugu Desam describing the capacity hike as an attempt to illegally divert Krishna waters to Rayalaseema at the cost of the Telangana, he said on Monday that he would prove them "wrong and untrue".

He said the contention of Congress MLAs P. Janardhan Reddy and M. Shashidhar Reddy that the proposal would deprive Hyderabad of its drinking water from the river too was false.

Mr. Lakshmaiah said all these leaders were trying to whip up regional passions, each for his own political gain. "It is a case of sentiments, emotions and politics" overtaking "truth, fact and logic". If they came for a debate, he would provide the truths to the people and unravel the motives behind their sinister campaign.

"As an engineer from Telangana who has studied the issue in depth", he said increase in capacity, in no way, would affect the Telangana region or the twin cities. He said the criticism against the proposal was unwarranted as it was finalised at an all-party meeting. The meeting, in fact, had also endorsed allotment of 10 tmcft to Anantapur from the dam out of the river's flood waters and, accordingly, cleared the increase in discharge capacity to 44,000 cusecs from 40,000 cusecs.

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