The fight over Krishna waters Part 2
By Deepak Parvatiyar
The Telangana Government has already rejected the instructions of Krishna River Management Board to stop the hydel power production in Srisailam
Hyderabad: As the Telugu speaking states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at loggerheads with each other over the water sharing of Krishna river, the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s gazette notification of July 15, 2021 can not ensure judicious utilization water resources in both staesTelangana and Andhra Pradesh. The Centre, while notifying the jurisdiction of Krishna and Godavari River Management Boards, transferred to them the operation of all projects, including generation of hydel power in the two river basins from October 14, 2021.
Subsequent to the notification, within 60 days, both state governments are required to deposit Rs 200 crore each, totalling Rs 400 crore. Matters relating to power generation, transmission, and distribution shall be implemented by the states as per the directions of the boards. And both the state governments shall be responsible for the management of natural calamities like drought and floods, as per the advice of the boards.
The Union Ministry notified the jurisdiction of Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) and Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), providing the required authority and power to the two Boards in terms of administration, regulation, operation and maintenance of listed projects in Godavari and Krishna River basins in the two states.
Moreover, both states will have to stop the works of unapproved ongoing projects immediately and obtain approvals within six months of this notification. If approvals are not obtained within the stipulated time, such completed unapproved projects shall cease to operate. This is a matter of concern and on September 7, 2021, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao dashed a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, taking strong objection to the unapproval of 11 water projects in Godavari basin in his state, and urging him to take “immediate action” drop these projects from the unapproved list.
Also read:
- The fight over Krishna waters: The Andhra perspective
- Telangana cries foul over Centre’s unapproval of 11 water projects
Veeramalla Prakash Rao, Chairman,Water Resources Development at Government of Telangana, told Global Bihari that actually there is dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in sharing Krishna river waters but not Godavari waters.
Since, all the irrigation projects of both basins of both states have been brought under the authority of River Boards as per the gazette notification, Prakash Rao said now both Telangana and Andhra governments may ask GOI to remove undisputed projects from the Board.
The Telangana Government has already rejected the instructions of Krishna River Management Board to stop the hydel power production in Srisailam, he informs.
Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao, the Chief Public Relations Officer at the Chief Minister’s Office of Telangana, pointed out that Telangana CM had already clarified his government’s stand in the Second Apex Council held on October 6, 2020, that the question of notification of jurisdiction of boards should not arise unless water sharing is finalised by the Tribunal under Section 3 of Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (ISRWD Act) 1956. The CM had pointed out that the tribunal matter was pending in the Supreme Court and the matter was sub-judice, hence on this account also the matter could not be deliberated. The CPRO further mentioned that a similar opinion was also expressed in the first Apex Council Meeting held on September 21, 2016. However, he claimed that despite the difference of opinions of the member states on the issue of jurisdiction, the Ministry of Jal Shakti still unilaterally issued the gazette notification without communicating the Draft Notification to the member states for their remarks and comments.
Both he and V Prakash Rao claimed this was unconstitutional, undemocratic and against the spirit of cooperative federalism. “It literally means usurping the rights of states by the Centre,” they said.
As 36 projects in Krishna basin and 71 projects in Godavari basin are proposed to be kept under the control of KRMB and GRMB respectively, V Prakash Rao said that it meant both the river basins will be under the direct control of central government.
Besides, he informed that Telangana government will have to stop the works of unapproved projects immediately and obtain approvals within 6 months of this notification. He mentioned that following the notification, all major and medium projects are notified leaving only minor irrigation to the states.
The notification has far-reaching implications and impacts on Telangana as it declared some of the ongoing and completed projects which were sanctioned in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh as unapproved projects.
“The notification does not even reflect the spirit of AP Reorganisation Act,” V Prakash Rao said, adding that several issues of Central gazette needed detail discussion in KRMB.
According to Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao, the unilateral action of the Central Government may be described as the ‘nationalization of rivers’. “The rights of states on river waters are taken away with this notification,” he claimed.
