K. Chandrashekar Rao says top priority to friendly ties with neighbours
Rao blames previous governments for complicating inter-state water sharing disputes
Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao said on Monday that his government had accorded top priority to maintaining friendly relations with neighbouring states as he tries to resolve inter-state water sharing disputes.
Rao, the first chief minister of India’s youngest state, which was formed in 2014, blamed previous governments for complicating such disputes.
The government is working on an amicable settlements of such disputes, particularly with Maharashtra and Karnataka, Rao said in his independence day speech.
“Our efforts to amicably resolve water disputes is bearing fruit," Rao, known as KCR, said in his Independence Day speech in Telugu.
The Telangana government has been spending thousands of crores of rupees on redesigning existing irrigation projects and constructing new ones as it plans to make complete use of its full share of waters and irrigate 10 million acres of land by 2022.
Many of those projects need the cooperation of neighbouring states. Rao, however, adopted a tough stance over water sharing with Andhra Pradesh, out of which Telangana was created in 2014.
Rao, in his speech, pointed to his government’s efforts in ending decades of discord with Maharashtra on utilisation of the waters of the river Godavari and its tributaries.
In March, the Telangana government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra on setting up an inter-state water board on Godavari projects and also allowing the two states to work out mutually agreeable specifications on the construction of a barrage 20 km downstream of Kaleshwaram in Warangal district.
The barrage would allow irrigation of 1.64 million acres in Telangana and over 50,000 acres in some tribal areas of Maharashtra with the help of four small lift irrigation schemes.
Rao said his government had also convinced Karnataka to come on board for completing the Rajaolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) left canal that provides irrigation water to drought-prone Mahbubnagar district of Telangana.
Telangana was able to use only half its allocation of 15.9 tmcft – as the project has remained incomplete for several decades.
Rao’s speech was replete with mentions of his flagship schemes on irrigation, drinking water and welfare measures initiated by his government.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which was at the forefront for Telangana statehood movement, won the 2014 assembly elections riding on Telangana sentiment and also promises of providing water for agriculture and drinking, better power supply and employment to youth.
Rao said his government will be forming new districts by Dussehra this year.
Telangana government has proposed create 13 additional districts on top the existing 10 districts, for administrative purposes.
Telangana became the 29th state of India on 2 June, 2014, after a decades-old struggle for a separate state.
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