The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Babli: Centre’s intervention sought

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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Babli: Centre’s intervention sought

State government wants it to depute CWC team to Babli barrage

Installation of gates is clear violation of Supreme Court directions: Ponnala
Minister wants the CWC officials to furnish report to Centre and the court

HYDERABAD: Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah has requested the Union government to depute a team of Central Water Commission (CWC) officials to visit the Babli barrage in Maharashtra and furnish a report to the Centre and the Supreme Court on violation of the apex court’s order.

In a letter to Union Minister for Water Resources Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday, Mr. Lakshmaiah said that the Maharashtra government was installing the gates to impound water in Babli barrage within the next 20 days. Photographs of the site show that some gates were installed and the remaining in the process of being fixed.

Mr. Lakshmaiah said the Maharashtra government was constructing Babli barrage and 11 other new projects across Godavari upstream of Sriramsagar Project in Nizamabad. He said the Andhra Pradesh government had brought the issue to the notice of Centre in 2005 itself. In the Inter State meeting in July 2005 in the presence of CWC officials, the Maharashtra government had agreed that construction had been taken up without consent from Andhra Pradesh.

Subsequently, the CWC had also asked the Maharashtra government to stop construction till the issue was amicably settled.

The Minister pointed out that despite the CWC order, construction was resumed. He said subsequent meetings in 2006 saw the Union Water Resources Minister directing Maharashtra government to maintain status quo. The Minister said despite the decision taken during various Inter State meetings and written directions from the CWC, Maharashtra continued to go ahead with the construction.

He referred to the Supreme Court direction in April 2007, which said Maharashtra could go ahead with the construction of the barrage, but should not install the proposed 13 gates till further orders.

Orders violated

The Minister said the installation of gates clearly shows that the neighbouring State had violated the Supreme Court directions. He wanted the Centre to act immediately to issue necessary directions to Maharashtra.

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