An all-party meeting organised on the Krishna water issue here on Tuesday suggested that the State government take along all political parties and organisations to exert pressure on the Centre for an early resolution to the water sharing row between the two Telugu-speaking States.
The meeting also proposed to form a committee with democratic voices from the two States to prevent further escalation of the dispute and work for an amicable resolution to the issue based on international and national water sharing treaties, which advocate meeting the needs of backward areas within the basin before focusing on meeting the needs outside the basin.
Representatives of the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Telangana Jana Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Inti Party, Retired Engineers Association, Telangana Vidyavanthula Vedika, Arunodaya Samskruthika Samakhya, Engineers Forum and several others organisations and parties participated and spoke at the round-table meeting organised by Telangana Journalists Forum (TJF) president Palle Ravi Kumar.
The meeting felt that giving Krishna water to fluoride-affected areas of combined Nalgonda, Rangareddy and drought-prone areas would prevent the fluoride impact on human and animal health before planning its diversion to other areas.
Demanding that the State government publish a white paper on the expenditure made as part of utilising the share of river water, the all-party meeting also wanted to know the amount spent on Krishna Basin projects in Telangana.
The speakers also underscored the need to allay apprehensions over collusion of State and Central Governments and contractors in the matter of irrigation projects.
They felt that natural law in river water sharing was that preference should be given to the basin areas by apportioning it based on the proportion of catchment area.
Former MPs G. Vivekanand, A.P. Jitender Reddy and Mallu Ravi, Prof. M. Kodandaram, former MLAs Nandyala Narsimha Reddy and S. A. Sampath Kumar, Ujjini Ratnakar Rao, Cheruku Sudhakar, Dasoju Sravan, Vimalakka, B. Mallesh, Pasham Yadagiri, Siliveru Kashinatham, M. Satti Reddy, Prof. M Jyothsna, and D. Laxminarayana spoke.
