The Hindu : Deferment of CWC meet, a tactical victory for State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 26, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Deferment of CWC meet, a tactical victory for State

By Our Special Correspondent

HUBLI June 25. The rescheduling of a meeting of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to Friday with the inclusion of subjects suggested by Karnataka in the agenda comes as a tactical victory for the State.

The development is an offshoot of a high-level all-party delegation led by the Chief Minister, S.M.Krishna, calling on the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K.Advani, in New Delhi on Tuesday to counter the pressure campaign against the State by Andhra Pradesh.

The rescheduled meeting in New Delhi will take note of the complaint of Andhra Pradesh about Paragodu and Upper Tunga projects and that of Karnataka about the projects being executed by Andhra Pradesh in the Krishna Basin without approval to use surplus water which is yet to be determined.

Karnataka took advantage of the controversy created by Andhra Pradesh and the inter-State meeting convened by CWC to force the Union Ministry of Water Resources to take cognisance of its complaints against the execution of projects in the Krishna Basin by Andhra Pradesh without approval.

While Andhra Pradesh had all along ignored the complaints of Karnataka, the Centre, which knew about them, had pleaded helplessness in reigning in that State. The outcome of the meeting on Friday would be quite interesting. Karnataka has been maintaining that the Paragodu project is for supplying drinking water, and there is no need for permission to execute it.

It has also built up a case justifying the execution of the Upper Tunga Project using its share of water allocated by the Bachawat Tribunal, which has been opposed by Andhra Pradesh. However, people of Karnataka are eagerly waiting for the reaction of the Centre to the projects being executed by Andhra Pradesh without approval. Karnataka has listed out more than half-a-dozen projects, including Telugu Ganga and Srisailam Left Bank Canal.

Although Karnataka has taken up the violation of the Bachawat Tribunal's recommendations in various forums, including the apex court, it has not been able to prevent Andhra Pradesh from executing the projects that have not been approved.

The Centre and the CWC, which knew about the violation of the tribunal's recommendations by Andhra Pradesh, seem to be helpless in the matter.

This was manifest in a communication by Arjun Charan Sethi, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, to Mr. Krishna in February 2001. Mr. Sethi admitted that the Telugu-Ganga and Srisailam Left Bank Canal projects were unapproved ones, and observed: "Some State governments have been implementing projects without the approval of the Centre."

Andhra Pradesh's ambition to grab as much water as possible from the upper riparian States, including Karnataka, can be seen in the Telugu-Ganga Project.

It was launched mainly as a scheme to utilise 15 tmcft. of water, with the three riparian States agreeing to allot five tmcft. each from their quota to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai.

Andhra Pradesh gradually widened the scope of the project, and converted it into an irrigation scheme.

It took advantage of the "liberty" enjoyed under the Bachawat Tribunal for using the unused water, and ignored the other obligation that it should not build any permanent structure in the process.

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Deferment of CWC meet, a tactical victory for State