A meeting will be held to discuss the jurisdiction of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) over projects on the Krishna that are common to both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, in the office of the Union Secretary of Water Resources in New Delhi on Thursday.
Andhra Pradesh had proposed a discussion on three important issues at the crucial meeting. The first, KRMB being given total jurisdiction over Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar as per provisions of the A.P. Reorganisation Act. While A.P. has been voicing the demand from the outset, Telangana has been raising objections to it.
The second, various projects proposed by Telangana for drawing water from the foreshore of the Srisailam reservoir and from the Palair peservoir. There is a dispute between the two States over the status of the Palamuru and Rangareddy Lift Irrigation project and the Bhakta Ramadas Lift Irrigations schemes.
Conflicting claims
If the projects are new, they have to be cleared by the Central Water Commission, KRMB and also the Apex Committee consisting of the Chief Ministers of the two States and the Union Water Resources Minister as per the provisions of the reorganisation Act. While A.P.’s contention is that these three projects are new, Telangana says that they were old schemes that have been redesigned. Deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to prevent pilferage of water released into the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Main Canal before it reaches the State is the third item on A.P.’s agenda.
Water Users’ Association Apex Committee member A. Gopala Krishna Rao said the WUAs had written a letter to the Union Secretary detailing the problems being faced by A.P.
