Chandrababu Naidu calls for amicably settling water disputes between Telugu states

Amaravati, Jan 5 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday called for amicably settling the issues relating to the sharing of river waters between the two Telugu states.

He stressed the need for cooperation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve several issues, including water sharing issues.

Addressing the Third World Telugu Conference in Guntur, he said unity among both the Telugu states is essential to achieve the top position in the country.

He stated that his goal is to permanently resolve the water disputes between the two states and that he desires that all Telugu people remain united.

Chief Minister Naidu’s remarks come amid the ongoing dispute between the two states over the sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters, with the Telangana government approaching the Supreme Court to stop the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar link project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government.

Telangana is opposing the Andhra Pradesh government’s plans to expand the Polavaram project and divert water from the Godavari to the Krishna basin.

Chandrababu Naidu said that Andhra Pradesh did not object even when Telangana utilised the abundant water in the Godavari and built the Kaleshwaram project.

Chandrababu Naidu reiterated that all the rivers in Andhra Pradesh should be interconnected. He made it clear that the Krishna-Godavari river linking project will be implemented.

He noted that every year, 3,000 TMC of water from the Godavari River goes to waste into the sea. He said last year, approximately 6,282 TMC of water from the Krishna and Godavari rivers flowed into the sea.

Along with Goa Governor P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Chief Minister Naidu garlanded and paid tributes to the statue of former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao (NTR).

The Chief Minister unveiled a special cover designed by the postal department to commemorate the World Telugu Conference.

The Chief Minister, in his speech, underlined the need for unity among Telugus. "Even though we are two states, Telugu is our mother tongue. Only if all Telugu people remain united, we will reach the top,” he said.

Naidu stated that NTR paved the way for the irrigation system by undertaking many projects in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

He said NTR built the SLBC and SRBC canals to utilise Nagarjuna Sagar waters. “After that, as Chief Minister, I completed projects like the Kalwakurthy Lift and Nettempadu. 

With the modernisation of the Krishna Delta, we saved water and allocated 20 TMC of water to Telangana, completing the Bhima Lift Irrigation project. We undertook schemes like the Ali Sagar and Devadula lift irrigation projects on the Godavari river,” he said.

Referring to the Telugu language, he said everyone should protect their mother tongue. He said the Telugu language got recognition as an ancient language and Telugu-speaking people are the fourth largest group after Hindi, Bengali and Marathi-speaking people. He said around ten crore people are using the Telugu language.

He stressed the need for respecting the language of others while protecting their own mother tongue. He praised the efforts of Andhra Saraswat Parishat for organising the programme and bringing together all Telugu language experts.

He said that the Andhra Saraswat Parishat organised Telugu Mahasabhalu at Bhimavaram in 2022 and, Rajahmundry in 2024. He announced that the next Telugu Mahasabhalu will be organised in Mauritius in 2027.

--IANS

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