BRS's KT Rama Rao warned of a major agitation over river water rights, questioning the Telangana govt's stance on the GRMB meeting. He also slammed the HILTP policy, calling it a move to privatise land, and vowed to challenge it legally.

BRS Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Saturday warned that his party would launch a major agitation, on the lines of the Telangana movement, if the State's legitimate share of river waters was compromised.

BRS Questions Govt on Godavari Water Sharing

Speaking to reporters at his residence in Nandi Nagar, KTR questioned the Telangana government's decision to accept the agenda of the upcoming Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting. He demanded that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy clarify whether the government had accepted the agenda, whether they would attend the meeting and, if so, what position they proposed to take on behalf of Telangana.

KTR alleged that the agenda was against Telangana's interests and said the government should boycott the meeting if it was genuinely concerned about protecting the State's water rights. He warned that the BRS would not remain a silent spectator if Telangana's share of river waters was compromised by the Centre or neighbouring States. "If Telangana's water rights are compromised again, the BRS will be forced to launch another major movement for the protection of the State's river-water rights," he said.

Alleges Compromise Under AP CM's Influence

KTR alleged that the Congress government was compromising Telangana's interests under the influence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He also questioned the appointment of Adityanath Das as an adviser, asking why the government had to depend on an individual whom he alleged was opposed to Telangana's interests when the State had several experienced engineers and irrigation experts.

The BRS leader further alleged that the government had failed to adequately protect Telangana's irrigation interests while neighbouring States were drawing water from shared rivers. Referring to Mahabubnagar and the Palamuru region, he alleged that Revanth Reddy had failed to ensure adequate water for farmers and was responding to the issue only after pressure from the Opposition and farmers.

KTR said the BRS had fought for Telangana on the issues of water, funds and jobs and would continue to fight for the State's interests.

KTR Slams Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy

He also accused the Congress government of attempting to open up valuable industrial land in Hyderabad for private interests through the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation Policy (HILTP). KTR claimed that around 10,000 acres of prime land, which he estimated to be worth nearly ₹5 lakh crore, was at risk under the policy.

He said the BRS would scrap the HILTP policy if it returned to power and launch a statewide campaign to explain what it described as the policy's adverse implications to the public and industrial organisations. The party would approach industrial bodies and place details of the policy before the public, he said.

KTR warned that those getting their properties regularised under the present policy could face losses in the future. He alleged that land originally allotted for industrial development and employment generation was being opened up for private commercial and real-estate activities. Hyderabad, he said, was already facing a shortage of land for public requirements such as playgrounds, housing and burial grounds, and handing over thousands of acres of valuable land to private interests would amount to a betrayal of public trust.

KTR said the BRS would approach the High Court over what it described as irregularities in the HILTP policy and place the matter before the judiciary and the people.

Concerns Over Section 22-A Property List

He also alleged that the government was expanding the prohibited-properties list under Section 22-A, creating difficulties for ordinary property owners. The restrictions, he claimed, were preventing people from freely dealing with their properties and creating opportunities for harassment and illegal collections.

The BRS, he said, would expose alleged irregularities relating to Section 22-A restrictions, HILTP, Transferable Development Rights (TDR) transactions and other land-related decisions of the Congress government.

KTR reiterated that the BRS would continue to fight for the protection of Telangana's river-water rights, public assets and the property rights of ordinary citizens. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)