Hyderabad: Ahead of the meeting convened
by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh between Chief Ministers of
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra on the contentious Babhli
issue, Chief Minister K Rosaiah held an all-party meeting here
today.
Telugu Desam and other opposition parties asked the
state government to be tough on the issue and put forward the
state's case effectively at the tomorrow's meeting to protect
people's interests.
"The state's arguments cannot be weak. We told the
state government to put forward our case effectively. There
cannot be any compromise on this. Babhli is an illegal project
and ours is a justified demand," TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu
told reporters after the meeting.
"The Babhli project is illegal because it is located
in the project area of another project. They violated the
orders of Central Water Commission, Central government and
even Supreme Court. The gates of Babhli project be should be
removed and they should not use water from the project.
Otherwise, the project would turn several districts of
Telangana into a desert," he said.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi should not stay aloof
from the issue as the party is in power at the Centre and also
both in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, Naidu said.
Appreciating the Prime Minister's decision to convene
the meeting, senior Praja Rajyam leader K Vidyadhara Rao
favoured setting up a regulatory body for such inter-state
water issues.
CPI state secretary K Narayana said a political solution
is possible as Congress is in power both in AP and Maharashtra
and also at the Centre.
CPI(M) state secretary B V Raghavulu said it is better if
both states sorted out the issue in a cordial atmosphere.
BJP state president and MLA G Kishan Reddy also said
Sonia Gandhi should intervene to resolve the issue.
TRS leader K Vidyasagar Rao said the state should not
allow the Babhli project to continue as it is illegal from
various aspects.
Lok Satta Party president and MLA N Jayaprakash Narayan
said a mechanism should be set up at the national level to
protect the interests of all.
Asserting that the state government would leave no stone
unturned to protect the state's interests, Major Irrigation
Minister P Lakshmaiah said the government would ask the Centre
to impress upon Maharashtra to remove the gates of Babhli
project which were installed in violation of Supreme Court
orders.
The state government would also demand stopping
construction of 15 other projects taken up by Maharashtra by
giving wrong information to the Centre, he said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, August 01, 2010, 23:48