Wrangling likely over Srisailam power project

• Left bank power project located in Mahabubnagar district
• AP staff oppose handing over of the 900 MW power project to T
• T employees strongly demand the Left bank power project for Telangana

Hyderabad: The immediate problem which confronts both the two incumbent Chief Ministers K Chandrasekhar Rao of Telangana and N Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh will be in regard to sharing of power.

As June is the month when monsoon would hit the State and power utilities go in for hydel generation, both the States are likely to get locked in a major controversy. APGenco has two power projects – Left Bank Hydro Power Plant (LBHPP) with 900 MW capacity in Mahabubnagar district and Right Bank Hydro Power Plant (RBHPP) with 700 MW capacity in Kurnool in 2000.

Though geographically the 900 MW plant is located in Mahabubnagar, the administrative office is in Kurnool district. A majority of the employees at Left Bank power station are from Seemandhra. These employees are now raising strong objection over the proposal to hand over the 900 MW Srisailam Left Bank Hydro Power Plant (LBHPP) to Telangana.

The Seemandhra employees are demanding that the two hydel power projects be merged into one and the power generated be allotted to the residuary State as the head of the two power projects is functioning from Kurnool in Seemandhra. Over 70 per cent of employees working at the project have also been selected from fourth zone covering Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra districts.

The Genco officials said that they are opposed to the proposal to bring in the two power projects under the purview of the proposed Central Water Board, which would be set up to monitor the sharing of Krishna and Godavari river waters between the two States after the bifurcation.

They contend that there is no option to resolve the issue at State level, and the government has written a letter to the Centre, seeking its intervention for an amicable solution. The government has also put the process of division of the project on hold. Seemandhra Electricity Employees Union leader Saibaba said that the union opposes the division of the project.

He warned that the union would move the court if any injustice is meted out to them. On the other hand, the Telangana Electricity Employees union leaders are also staking their claim to the project and they say that since geographically the left bank unit is in Mahabubnagar, the 900 MW power should be given to Telangana State.