The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : ‘Telangana issues taking backseat’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 23, 2007
ePaper

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

‘Telangana issues taking backseat’

Staff Reporter

WARANGAL: Former vice chancellor of Kakatiya University and champion separate Telangana movement, Mr. K. Jaya Shankar called for a wider debate on the issues related to Telangana projects mentioned in the recent CAG report.

Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Mr. Jayashankar as the political leaders were indulging in mudslinging, the important issues such as meagre allocation of water due to the regions were getting sidelined.

The issues of people were taking a backseat in the discussions at different fora with the political leaders engaged in levelling allegations on each other.

He said the CAG pointing out corruption and irregularities was common, as there were huge irregularities in the Jalayagnam mission.

Discrimination

“The report also speaks about the discrimination in allocation of river water which needs to be debated at the earliest as the interests of farmers are at stake,” Mr Jayashankar argued.

Citing excerpts from the report, he explained that the Devadula, Yellampally, Ali Sagar, Gutpa, Lendi, and Dummugudem projects have got a combined allocation of mere 136 tmc water.

“The Polavaram project, which envisages benefiting the coastal area, has an allocation of 300 tmc while the six projects that irrigate Telangana have got a share of a meagre 136 tmc,” he pointed out.

Mr Jayashankar lamented that the State Government was misleading the public over the irrigation.

According to the Government one tmc of water irrigated 15,000 acres in Telangana but whereas in Andhra region, the same amount irrigates 3,500 acres.

“People should question this kind of logic as the political leaders of Telangana region are tight-lipped for the reasons best known to them,” he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh