Acting on a letter handed over personally to it by the top officials of the Water Resources Department of Andhra Pradesh on Monday complaining against some projects taken up by Telangana in the Krishna Basin, the KRMB has asked the latter to “furnish its views” on the former’s objections.
Enclosing a copy the AP’s letter dated May 14 to the river board, Member of KRMB Harikesh Meena wrote to Principal Secretary (Irrigation) of Telangana on Tuesday that AP had complained that Telangana was going ahead with executing Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi, Bhakta Ramadasu, and Thummilla lift irrigation schemes and Water Grid project without appraisal of project reports by the river board and CWC and approval of the Apex Council.
The AP government, in its letter, had contended that the five projects would adversely affect the projects already existing and ongoing with prior sanctions given during the combined AP dispensation to meeting drinking water needs in the drought-prone areas of Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts there, the river board letter to Telangana said.
Further, AP has also complained that Telangana had enhanced the scope of Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu and Srisailam Left Bank Canal systems, the board said and pointed out that it had already wrote a reminder to Telangana on a previous complaint by AP in January last year asking for detailed project reports. “However, Telangana has not furnished any details till date”, the letter said.
Asking Telangana to furnish views on AP’s complaints on priority basis, the river board also cited the provisions of AP Reorganisation Act in the matter of utilising water resources by stressing on the provision that construction of no new project be taken up by the two States without appraisal of the river board and approval of the Apex Council.
