Pranahita-Chevalla pact not linked to Telangana: Sridhar Babu

Civil Supplies Minister D Sridhar Babu on Monday dismissed the allegations of opposition parties that the State Government has reached the pact with the Maharashtra Government for the construction of Pranahita-Chevella Project under the special package of backward areas development.

Talking to media persons at Congress Legislature Party office, Sridhar Babu said that there was no connection between the special package and Telangana State issue and the project was taken up to provide irrigation facility to seven districts in the region. He advised the opposition not to look the development projects with suspicion and criticise the government.

Sridhar Babu said that the government has taken up the project with an aim to provide irrigation facility to about 16.40 lakh acres in seven districts in the Telangana region.

Hailing Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for the pact with Maharashtra Government, he said that 40 TMC of water under the project would be used to provide drinking water facility and 16 TMC would be provided to industries in the region. He said that the government was holding consultations with Transco officials to lift water from the project.

Stating that about 57 percent of funds have been sanctioned by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, he said that government was making all efforts to get the National Project status to the project soon with the Centre.

Stating the Telangana Rashtra Samithi was against development in the region, he said that TRS wants to improve its numbers in the legislative bodies in the name of agitation. He also dismissed media reports that only MPs from the region were making efforts towards Telangana and Ministers and MLAs were not doing anything for the statehood. He said that all of them were making united efforts in the party towards achieving statehood for the region.