Joining the issue on irrigation projects with Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana government has written a letter to the Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) and requested the official to convene the Apex Council meeting, as also sought by AP, to discuss the contentious issues threadbare, to record the facts and to restrain AP on new projects.
The letter written by Special Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi on Friday highlights the State's demand for additional entitlement in Krishna water in lieu of diversion of Godavari water to Krishna Basin with the help of Polavaram project and Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Schemes.
It also refers to other new projects taken up by AP without necessary permissions either from the Central Water Commission or from the river management boards set up under the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act. The new projects mentioned by Telangana include Purushothamapatnam, Muchumarri, Guru Raghavendra, Pulikanuma, Siddapuram and Sivabhasyam Lift Irrigation Schemes, Gundlarevu reservoir and Munneru barrage.
“We have requested the MoWR to determine the additional entitlement to Telangana in Krishna water in lieu of diversion of Godavari water to Krishna Basin with the help of Polavaram and Pattiseema projects by issuing suitable advisory to AP and also asking it desist from construction of new projects”, officials in the irrigation department said.
The Telangana's letter also refers to the letter written to MoWR on July 1 raising the issues of Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi, Bhakta Ramadasu and Thummilla Lift Irrigation Schemes being executed by it.
The letter reiterates that the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi projects raised by AP during the first meeting of the Apex Council in September last year were amply clarified stating that they were not new projects citing provisions under Sections 84(3)(ii) and 85(8)(d) of the Reorganisation Act and also highlighting that they were approved in the erstwhile AP and Telangana was only expediting them to satisfy the pressing needs of the drought-prone and fluoride-affected areas.
On Bhakta Ramadasu and Thummilla, schemes the Special Chief Secretary said that they were not new projects since they were not serving new ayacut but were designed to meet the needs of gap ayacut. “On one hand, AP is raising frivolous objections relating to completion of projects in Telangana and on the other it is taking up construction of several new projects in complete violation of the relevant provisions of the Reorganisation Act”, the officials said.
Telangana urged the MoWR to include the concerns of Telangana in the agenda of the Apex Council meeting whenever it is convened. The details of the new projects taken up by AP were also enclosed with the letter in the form of an annexure.
