Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

Stop work on AP projects, Centre told

By Our Staff Reporter

Bangalore July 16. The Minister for Water Resources, H.K. Patil, today demanded in the Legislative Council that the Centre immediately order the suspension of work on the irrigation projects of Andhra Pradesh on the border with Karnataka, to which the latter had raised objections, till an amicable settlement was reached.

Replying to Ramachandra Gowda and G. Madhusudan (both BJP) during Question Hour, the minister regretted that the Union Government had not acted on the State's complaint in September last and the plea to announce interim relief.

He said that the Centre had not responded to the appeals of the high-level delegation led by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, which briefed the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, on the continuing construction related to the Telugu Ganga, Bhima and Pulichintala projects, and the Srisailam Left and Right bank canals, which had not been approved. The State had sought a minimum of flow of water in the Bhima river as interim relief, he added.

Mr. Patil said the Union Government had not constituted a tribunal for sharing the surplus waters of the Krishna river. He charged the Andhra Pradesh Government with disobeying the Supreme Court direction that it should not create any permanent infrastructure for utilising the surplus waters. The apex court advised Karnataka to approach the Centre to constitute a tribunal under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, he added.

It was unfortunate, he said, that the Centre, which earlier upheld the objection of Karnataka against these projects, had failed to take action.

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