The Hindu : Minister hopeful of positive response from Karnataka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Minister hopeful of positive response from Karnataka

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR Dec. 30. The Minister for Major Irrigation, Kadiyam Srihari, has expressed the hope that the Karnataka Government will release water from the Alamatti dam to Andhra Pradesh. He has said the State Government is taking all steps to prevent drinking water scarcity across the State.

Winding up the meeting of the District Development Review Council (DDRC) here on Monday, Mr. Srihari said that there was a positive response from the Karnataka Government to the pleas made by the Andhra Pradesh Government over the release of water from the Alamatti reservoir. He said that he would not mind making one more trip to Bangalore to meet the Chief Minister of Karnataka, S.M. Krishna, and also the State's Irrigation Minister to request them to consider the request sympathetically.

Mr. Srihari said that the responsibility of impressing upon the Karnataka Government that the water released from Alamatti was being strictly utilised to meet the drinking water needs and that the farmers in the State were not drawing water for irrigation purposes.

The efforts to fetch water from Alamatti were only to ensure that there was no scarcity for drinking water in the Andhra Pradesh in the coming summer. As many as seven districts -- Mahabubnagar, Kurnool, Nalgonda, Khammam, Guntur, Krishna and Prakasam were dependent on the Krishna river for drinking water.

In fact, Mr. Krishna had assured the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, of all possible help. However, the Karnataka Government could not act immediately owing to the political situation prevalent in that State. Besides, the Assembly was also in session in Bangalore.

Referring to the spirited appeal made by the former Minister and Vemur MLA, Alapati Rajendra Prasad, that the State Government should take up the construction of the Pulichintala project, the Major Irrigation Minister said that the construction of the project was a commitment given by the Telugu Desam Party Government to people.

"We will take up the project as we are committed to translating it into a reality. Of course, there have been some misgivings within some political parties about regional imbalances. They would have to be dispelled by convening a meeting. The Government would surely take up the exercise of convincing leaders of political parties and people that the project would be beneficial to all regions. We will explain to people how the backward areas would get benefited with the help of the project,'' he pointed out.

Referring to the drought situation in the State, Mr. Srihari said the Government constituted a Cabinet sub-committee, in which he was also a member, to assess the situation and reappropriate the budget, if necessary, to meet the challenges confronted by the State owing to severe drought conditions. "If necessary we will divert funds from other heads to meet the requirements of people in drought-hit areas,'' he asserted.

Our Hyderabad Special Correspondent adds:

Irrigation officials who participated in the meeting attribute the prolonged silence on the part of Karnataka to the continued Assembly session in that State and contend that a positive decision may emerge after January 6 when the session is expected to come to a close.

Karnataka has dropped broad hints that it may not be able to release the entire 37 tmcft as sought by Andhra Pradesh and that it may, at best, give about 6 to 10 tmcft.

According to a top irrigation official here today, Karnataka justified its stand on the ground that it had its own commitments under Alamatti towards the dam's ayacut.

He was, however, emphatic in saying that there would be no difficulty in providing drinking water to different places depending on Nagarjunasagar, etc. Sufficient storages were being kept in reservoirs to ensure supply till June-end.

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