The Andhra Pradesh High Court has no jurisdiction over regulation of irrigation water, and the recent stay order is “uncalled for” at a time when it should have been a political decision involving all the stakeholders, Samata Party leader V.V. Krishna Rao has said.
At an all-party meeting on protection of Krishna delta rights in Vijayawada on Friday, the Samata Party leader demanded immediate political intervention in the matter.
The court had said it was beyond its jurisdiction to stay the release of water as the Supreme Court too had not poked its nose into such matters.
He also questioned as to why Secondary Education Minister K. Parthasrathi and Speaker Nadendla Manohar were keeping quiet and not raising their voice to protect the rights of farmers they represent in the delta.
He also demanded that people’s representatives from the region resign in protest against the “injustice” being done to the farmers despite it having the first riparian right (first in first allocation).
Farmer leader Yelamanchili Sivaji, presiding over the meeting, said water could be released even if it was below MDDL of 510 feet at Nagarjuna Sagar Project as water would flow up to 455 feet level.
Meeting convener Nagendranath said Krishna delta farmers would implead themselves in the case in the High Court and protect their rights. If water supply was stopped and kharif fails, the delta farmers would lose Rs.11,900 crore. Drinking water supply from the SLBC began with 16 tmcft and had gone up to 25 tmcft, all this at the cost of one full crop, which could mean food insecurity in the country, said former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao.
‘Change lawyer’
The meeting unanimously opined that the lawyer representing the State at the Brijesh Kumar Committee hearings should be changed so that a strong case for Andhra Pradesh could be built up. The meeting also tried to understand the situation if the State was bifurcated.
Others present at the meeting included Congress leader Devineni Nehru, TDP district president D. Umamaheswara Rao, farmer leader Kolli Nageswara Rao, and MLCs Srinivas and Rajendra Prasad.
