Telangana suspects Krishna river board’s intent

Telangana Government to approach the Centre against the Krishna River Management Board at an “appropriate” time

matter of concern:The dry Krishna river bed at Beechupally in Mahabubnagar district. File photo

The Telangana Government has taken strong exception to the Krishna River Management Board’s (KRMB) attitude on the sensitive issue of management of projects in the State and has decided to approach the Centre against it at an “appropriate” time.

The State Government is particularly piqued over the double-speak of the river board officials nominated by the Centre as they informed the member States Telangana and Andhra Pradesh at its meeting on May 27 that they had already written to the Centre requesting it to notify the projects as part of taking over their management. However, a copy of the board’s letter to the Centre that was forwarded to Telangana on the next day made it clear that it was scripted only after the board meeting.

“We suspect the board’s intent behind its hasty steps to take over the management of projects as mandated in the AP Reorganisation Act. We are not against the board managing joint projects but it should be preceded by proper debate,” a senior official in the Irrigation Department told

The Hindu. He pointed out that the board had unilaterally included Jurala in Mahabubnagar district among the projects/head works it is planning to manage without even informing, leave aside discussion.

Top contention

The major contention of the Telangana Government is as to how the board would decide the projects it plans to manage without taking one of the States concerned into confidence.

In the May 27 meeting, the board officials told members of Telangana that the State could move the apex council consisting of Union Water Resources Minister and Chief Ministers of AP and Telangana, if they had any objection over the list of projects.

“The board’s step amounts to undermining an elected State Government and acting beyond its purview by including projects unilaterally”, the irrigation official said adding that such an attitude smacks of bias against Telangana. Efforts to reach Chairman of the river board L.A.V. Nathan over phone for his reaction on the issue proved futile in spite of several attempts.

Stating that the senior officials of Central Water Commission (CWC) who are officiating the river board on behalf of the Centre were well aware of Telangana’s concerns on the injustice done to it in combined AP, the Telangana official contended that the board’s hasty approach was giving scope for suspicion. “

The Brijesh Kumar tribunal award is in abeyance as we are fighting for re-allocation of waters among four riparian States as Telangana had no opportunity to argue in support of its interests in the past,” he noted.