T will draw water from Jurala if Centre denies nod for PRLIS: Revanth

Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy Saturday said if the Centre does not give the permission for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) to utilise 45 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of Krishna water in the first phase and another 45 tmc ft in the second phase, Telangana will go ahead with the project and draw two tmc ft of water daily from the Jurala project in Mahabubnagar district."Since Srisailam is a common and inter-state project, problems are being created for PRLIS. No one can stop Telangana from drawing water from Jurala, which is in Telangana and not an inter-state project. I will see who will stop Telangana on this, including AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu, YS Jaganmohan Reddy or Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Revanth Reddy said in the assembly.The CM, who spoke on the irrigation sector during a short discussion on Krishna water and PRLIS for more than two hours, became emotional and asserted that god gave him an opportunity to serve the people of Telangana at a young age.Criticisng former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao for not attending the assembly and participating in the debate on Krishna and the Palamuru project, the CM said the BRS chief warned "us of ‘tolu teestha' ( skin us), but we will chop his tongue if he does not stop questioning our (Congress govt) commitment towards farmers and state interests," stating that he can answer in his (KCR's) own language."The BRS chief wanted to discuss the issue of the PRLIS project in the assembly and wanted to hold public meetings. As he wanted to spread lies, Congress decided to hold a debate in the assembly and expose the lies of the BRS govt," Revanth Reddy said.Congress proposed Palamuru Project in 2009Revanth Reddy said Congress had proposed the Palamuru project in 2009 when YS Rajasekhara Reddy was at the CM in united AP, and KCR did not ask for the project when he was MP of Mahabubnagar between 2009 and 2014. He asked on what moral ground KCR questioned the Congress govt on PRLIS. He said the state govt wrote a letter to the Centre to allow, temporarily, 45 tmc ft to partially complete the project till the award in the first phase. But BRS tried to mislead the people on the letter.While the original proposal was to draw water from Jurala, about 70 tmc ft, KCR changed the plan only to increase the pumps and lifts. Revanth asked why BRS shifted the source of PRLIS to Srisailam from Jurala. "For whose benefit was it done?" he questioned. The BRS govt approached the SC to get the stay vacated on the NGT order only to clear 20,000 crore to "contractors and commissioners". He said the previous govt said PRLIS was a drinking water project and drew only 7.15 tmcft. KCR wrote death warrant to Telangana:Revanth Reddy alleged that the BRS president issued a death warrant to Telangana by accepting 299 tmc ft of water to Telangana and 512 tmc ft for the AP govt, out of a total 811 tmc ft of Krishna water, in the two Apex Council meetings conducted by the Union ministry of jal shakti (MoJS) in 2016 and 2020. The CM listed the project-wise allocations of about 490 tmc ft to Telangana projects before the creation of the state and said the govt was trying to get 71% of Krishna water, about 1,050 tmc ft, including enhanced water.