The Hindu Business Line : `TDP Govt has failed the irrigation sector'

A DAY ahead of the second phase polls in the State, several political parties, irrigation experts and environmentalists have alleged that the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has failed the irrigation sector by totally neglecting the sector during its nine-year rule.

At a roundtable held here on Sunday, they alleged that while the neighbouring States had augmented their resources massively to take up projects on a war footing, the TDP Government failed to do anything worthwhile for the irrigation sector.

The Chairman of Forum for Utilisation of Godavari Water, Mr Marri Shashidhar Reddy, put the blame on the TDP for the severe water crisis. Having been in power for 16 years in the last 21 years, the Government did little for the development of irrigation facilities.

He was addressing the roundtable discussion on `River water utilisation and monitoring projects: Failure of TDP and NDA Governments' here on Sunday.

The senior Congress (I) leader criticised Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu for his failure to take up projects such as Veligonda, Sriramsagar Stage II and Devadula Godavari lift irrigation project.

"The Government laid foundation stones prior to previous elections and left them there," he said.

He also found fault with Mr Naidu's demand that river linking project should take off from the State.

"It's the most irresponsible thing, without understanding the implications. It would mean permanently giving up our claim on 250 tmc out of our share of 1,480 tmc from Godavari. Both the TDP and the NDA are trying to sell dreams, which can't be translated into reality," he said.

Scoffing at the NDA's tall claims on irrigation front, he said the alliance had allocated Rs 3,800 crore for water resources as against Rs 98,000 crore provided for the communications sector.

Mr B.V. Raghavulu, State unit Secretary of CPI (M), alleged that the State Government had a secret pact with the World Bank for not taking up major irrigation projects. "The World Bank is against major irrigation projects," he said.

Refuting Mr Naidu's allegation that the Government could not take up Polavaram and Pulichintala projects due to resistance from the Opposition, he wondered who stopped Mr Naidu from taking up projects such as Devadula, Veligonda and Kalwakurthy.

Prof Purushottam Reddy, an environmentalist, observed that it was an internationally accepted norm that people in a particular area had a right on the resources available in that area. He said huge amount of water was being wasted in the name of power generation.

Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, a leader of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said Government's policies proved to be a bane. While the twin cities and the surrounding municipalities needed 270 million gallons a day (mgd) from the next year, the Government was going to town about the recent introduction of nine mgd from the Krishna river.

Mr Venkata Reddy, a prominent irrigation and power expert, said about 1,000 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) water was being allowed to go waste. "We need to address this immediately," he said.

He pointed out that the tribunal might highlight the right of upper riparian States over the 1,000 tmc water.

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