Hyderabad The fight between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states over power and irrigation water has flared up into a major confrontation with the workers of ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) setting fire to the office of main opposition Telugu Desam Party and burning the effigies of its leader N Chandrababu Naidu.
The incident came after days of war of words over Telangana generating hydel power at Srisailam project and Telugu Desam government in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh strongly opposing it.
Telangana, which was already reeling under serious power crisis, rejected the demand of AP holding it responsible for the crisis.
In power starved Telangana, where the demand for electricity has crossed 140 million units per day, the government was forced to purchase power at exorbitant price. It was buying an average of six million units per day and has spent Rs1.25 billion (Dh75million) on purchase of power since October 1. Yesterday it met a demand of 141.953 million units.
The flash point came after AP Chief Minister and TDP President Chandrababu Naidu wrote a letter to the Krishna River management Board demanding that Telangana government should be stopped from utilising the water of Srisailam for power generation.
In a strong reaction to the development, TRS workers held protest demonstrations all over Telangana including Hyderabad and burnt the effigies of Naidu. One such protest demonstration took an ugly turn in Nalgonda district where angry TRS workers ransacked the district TDP office and set its furniture ablaze.
Situation remained tense on Wednesday as the TDP called a strike in Nalgonda district and the TRS held counter protests. Situation threatened to get out of hand at Chityal in Nalgonda district when senior TDP leaders from Telangana heading towards Nalgonda were stopped by the police.
TDP leaders including Telangana unit president L Ramanna, Telangana Assembly floor leader E Dayakar Rao, M Narasimhlu, R Chandrasekhar Reddy and others staged a sit-in protest on the highway.
TRS leaders and workers also reached the place and held a counter protest. At one stage the TRS workers pelted stones damaging the vehicles of the TDP leaders. Later police took the TDP leaders in to custody and shifted them to Ramannapet police station.
TDP workers also took out rallies in Nalgonda town and other places in the district.
Srisailam hydel power generation unit has become a bone of contention between the two states. Telangana government was utilising it to generate 18 million units a day. “Telangana has a right over the project. It can generate power till water reaches 834 feet level at Srisailam and the present level in the dam is 860 feet”, said Telangana irrigation minister T Harish Rao.
Andhra Pradesh government was arguing that because of Telangana utilising water, its districts of Rayalaseema would not get the water for irrigation and drinking through Pottireddypadu head regulator.
Rejecting AP’s argument, Harish Rao said, “They have right on only 30 tmc ft of water. Under what rule they have already utilised 60 tmc ft of water”, he said.
Telangana government has held Andhra Pradesh responsible for power crisis in the state which had badly hit the farming and industrial sectors and power cut had to be imposed on domestic consumers.
Telangana finance minister E Rajinder charged Chandrababu Naidu with playing a dirty game with the state. “On the one hand he has created power crisis in Telangana by denying our due share of power and on the other he was provoking TDP leaders of Telagnana to agitate over power crisis”.
“He is trying to create anarchy in Telangana for political gains through various tactics, including denying the rightful share of power. Naidu’s letter to Krishna and Godavari water boards to stop power generation speaks volumes about his continued hatred towards Telangana people”, he said.
Harish Rao pointed out the AP State Reorganisation Act has fixed Telangana’s share of power at 54 per cent but AP was not giving this due share. “AP should give us our share of 300MW. We don’t want any favour from Naidu”, he said.
Charging TDP leaders of Telangana with betrayal, Harish Rao wanted them to clarify whether the state should stop generating power at Srisailam.
In response to Nidu’s missive, Krishna River Management Board sent an ambiguous message to Telangana government that it should follow the operation manual on drawing of water from Srisailam. It did not make any mention of power generation.
This being so, more trouble was brewing between the two states over Pulichintala Project on river Krishna in Nalgonda project which will benefit the farmers of Andhra.
While AP officials have started storing water submerging villages in Nalgonda district, Telangana government was opposing it demanding the implementation of relief and rehabilitation package first. While storage of 9.5 tmc ft was agreed upon, AP officials were now wanting to increase it to 20 tmc ft submerging many more villages.
Residents of the submerged villages held a demonstration on Wednesday and demanded release of impounded water from Pulichintala.
Telangana government has demanded payment of Rs1.4 billion towards the relief and rehabilitation package.
