Godavari-Krishna linking: KCR confident of sealing deal

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said that he is confident of sealing the Godavari-Krishna River linking project with Andhra Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy in his next sitting with his counterpart. He made this comment after reviewing the Palamur lift irrigation project in Edula village of Wanaparty district.

“I wish to make Mahbubnagar region as the most fertile in entire Telangana. For this purpose I am talking with Jaganmohan Reddy, who in principle agreed for linking Godavari, which has surplus water, to the Krishna at Srisaialm project so that water which would otherwise would go waste into the sea can be put to good use,” he said.

Coming down heavily on former chief minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu for suspecting his good intentions, he called him a cynical person.

“He fought with Maharashtra against Bhabhali project. He achieved nothing. But when I become CM, I met the Maharashtra CM and signed an MOU. The neighbouring state agreed to give us 570 tmc of Godavari water for Kaleshwaram project,” he said.

Will Jagan sign?

However, the entire Opposition in Andhra Pradesh is against the plan of linking the two rivers through a 400 km long canal, passing through Telangana state. It was argued that the current bonhomie between the two CMs might turn sour one day, leading to issues that might cause interstate water wars.

“When Telugu Ganga was planned to take water to Chennai, it looked nice on drawing board but in reality were we able to take water to Chennai,” questioned TDP MLA Payyavula Kesavulu.

However, the Jagan administration is keen on signing the deal with KCR. “The Telangana Chief Minister is benevolent enough to agree to share Godavari water with AP so that the parched Rayalaseema region will get sufficient water,” Jaganmohan Reddy said, answering the TDP's criticism in the state Assembly. He strongly believes that diverting Godavari through Telangana will be a better idea than doing the same at Polavaram project.

Jagan has been advised by the Opposition to see that the canal which will be built with the state’s money must pass through the geographical area of AP and not Telangana, with which the state had several river water sharing issues.