Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay on Tuesday visited the famous Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada and offered prayers. His visit comes ahead of a scheduled meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to discuss inter-state water sharing, including the release of Krishna River water to Chennai.
Vijay, dressed in a shirt and dhoti, was accorded traditional honours by the priests upon his arrival at the shrine. A special puja was performed, and the actor-turned-politician greeted devotees with folded hands as they cheered him.
VIJAY TO MEET NAIDU FOR WATER-SHARING TALKS
Vijay is scheduled to meet Naidu at 4.15 pm on Tuesday to discuss inter-state water management. The talks are expected to focus on expediting the release of Krishna River water to Chennai under the Telugu Ganga Project and the proposed Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking initiative, sources said.
During his visit, Vijay is also expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and attend the cultural celebrations at Vijayawada Utsav 2.0 alongside Naidu. He is scheduled to return to Chennai on Tuesday night.
ACTIVIST URGES IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF KRISHNA WATER
Meanwhile, climate activist G Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, an NGO working on socio-environmental issues, has urged Vijay to request the immediate release of water from Kandaleru reservoir and an allocation from Srisailam for the Telugu Ganga Project.
In a statement, Sundarrajan said Vijay should present details of Chennai's current drinking water requirements, water levels in lakes, including Poondi, and the quantity of Krishna water received by Tamil Nadu this year during his meeting with Naidu.
He urged the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to seek the immediate release of water from Kandaleru to help meet Chennai's drinking water needs.
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With PTI inputs