Deal with Krishna River Management Board: Harish to Uma Bharti

​New Delhi: Accusing AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu of harming the interests of Telangana even after bifurcation, Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Monday complained to Union Minister of Water Resources Uma Bharti of the spiteful anti-Telangana attitude of the Krishna River Management Board.

Harish Rao met the Union Minister along with the TRS MPs and Government Special Representative S Venugopala Chary in New Delhi on Monday to bring to her notice the "continuing injustice done to Telangana" by denying its share of assured irrigation water from both Krishna and Godavari rivers.

Rao said that the Board was taking law into its hands by deviating from its duties of water allocation and release from the Krishna river which was provided for in the Reorganisation Act. Instead of sticking to its responsibilities, the Board had issued a draft notification on water allocation despite the fact that cases in this regard were pending in the Supreme Court.

The unilateral draft was loaded against interests of Telangana. The board also seeks control over not only Krishna water but also over projects like Jurala while keeping KC Canal out of the same, Harish Rao said. The rights of the upper riparian State of Telangana were being flouted in case of Godavari water too.

In fact, because of Pattiseema construction which was not a part of Polavaram, Telangana should have been allowed to draw 45 tmc ft of water from Godavari as per the provisions of the Chapter 2 of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal. In all, Telangana should be entitled to draw 90 tmc ft of Godavari and Krishna water as per the provisions of the existing laws, but the AP Government was ensuring that this was not done, he said.

Referring to the needs of the eleven projects pending under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), Rao urged Uma Bharti to release pending funds at the earliest. He invited the Union Water Resources Minister to visit Telangana to have a first-hand knowledge of the works of Mission Kakatiya.

In a quick reaction to the TS delegation meeting Uma Bharti, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote a letter to her on Monday. The Chief Minister in his letter said that he came to know that Telangana Chief Minister wrote a letter requesting not to issue notification of KRMB jurisdiction.

The Chief Minister said the Section 89 of AP Reorganisation Act 2014 deals with the board’s jurisdiction to be notified by the central government over head works, part of canal network and transmission lines necessary to deliver water or power to the states.

Chandrababu Naidu said that in the absence of jurisdiction of KRMB over projects, the Telangana being an upper riparian state was taking advantage with consequent adverse impacts on farmers’ interests in the lower riparian state of AP. The state witnessed untimely and delayed water release by authorities in Telangana from Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs for the past two years despite clear orders of the KRMB, the letter said.

“Due to lack of jurisdiction and powers of enforcement, KRMB is not in a position to initiate suitable action. This is delaying the notification which will prove detrimental to the interests of Telangana and AP,” he said.

The contention of TS that draft notification has been forwarded without adequate consultation is incorrect since KRMB in its second meeting has been deliberating the matter of jurisdiction.

The CM said timely notification of jurisdiction would enable provision of water to farmers and ensure proper water management between the two states which was one of the cardinal principles adopted by the GoI while dividing the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh.