Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday put up a spirited argument with facts and figures before Krishna River Management Board chairman A.B. Pandya that the Andhra Pradesh government violated all norms in sharing water with Telangana.
In what was described by official sources as a courtesy call on Mr. Rao at the Secretariat, Mr. Pandya was said to have heard the Chief Minister patiently but reserved the decision of the board on the water row between Telangana and AP till its meeting here on Wednesday. Mr. Pandya also met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu earlier.
A release later said Mr. Rao raised the issue of Andhra Pradesh crying foul about Telangana using water at Srisailam for power generation, which is at the centre of controversy between the two States, though there was plenty of storage in the project. The AP government launched a false campaign that the water level in the project was touching “rock bottom.” But, the fact was that the level was 857 ft now against the full reservoir level of 885 ft.
Mr. Rao brought to the notice of Mr. Pandya a government order issued by Mr. Naidu’s earlier regime in 1996 which restricted the minimum drawdown level at Srisailam to 834 ft. The level was raised to 854 ft by the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government in 2004 and again restored at 834 ft the next year.
However, Mr. Naidu observed his own order in breach by drawing up to 735.03 ft in the very first year of his chief ministership in 1996-97. The MDDL in subsequent years of his rule was: 1997-98 -- 808.20 ft; 1998-99 -- 805.50 ft; 1998-99 -- 822 ft; 1999-2000 – 822 ft; 2000-01 – 747.70 ft; 2001-02 – 811.90 ft; 2002-03 – 801 ft and 2003-04 – 762.71 ft.
‘Firm operational rules need of the hour’Mr. Rao sought firm operational rules for usage of water from the Srisailam project as a hydel generating station. He asked the board to protect the interests of Telangana as it enjoyed the rights to use water and generate power at Srisaialm. In this context, he referred to the affidavit filed by Mr. Naidu’s government in the High Court in 2002 arguing that the State was at liberty to determine the manner in which it wanted to use river water.
Andhra Pradesh was entitled to only 34 tmcft from Srisailam right bank canal but it had used up 60 tmcft already.
