Amp up fight for fair share of TG in Krishna waters: Uttam to babus

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy asked the State’s legal and technical teams on Sunday to make all efforts to achieve an equitable and legitimate share of Telangana in the Krishna waters.

He reviewed the progress of inter-State issues related to the Krishna water disputes with senior advocates CS Vaidyanathan, V Ravinder Rao, adviser Adityanath Das, secretary Rahul Bojja, special secretary Prashant Patil, and other legal team members and the staff of ISWR.

Reddy advised the teams to pursue all issues aggressively without any compromise before the tribunal and the Supreme Court.

Legal expert Vaidyanathan briefly explained the status of various issues before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) and the apex court and suggested the way forward. He discussed the ad-hoc arrangement made in 2015 with Andhra Pradesh, which is stated as arbitrary and without any basis; it was agreed for only for the year. It was decided to pursue the issue before KWDT-II, seeking a revision of the 50:50 ratio as an ad hoc measure until the matter is adjudicated by the tribunal.

With regard to handing over components of the Srisailam and Nagarjunsagar Project (NSP), which came up for discussion, the minister reiterated the government stand and the resolution passed in the Assembly on February 12, 2024, that the government is not going to handover any components of the Srisailam and NSP to the KRMB.

Reddy asserted that necessary action would be taken by the government to safeguard and protect the water rights and interests of people in Telangana in the Krishna basin.

During the discussions on the KWDT-II award pending before the Supreme Court, Vaidyanathan suggested consultations with Maharashtra and Karnataka to resolve the issues amicably through dialogue. The minister agreed and directed to take steps in that direction.

He said Telangana should get its legitimate share in the Krishna waters as per the basin parameters to mitigate the distress and hardships faced by Telangana people in the Krishna basin. The minister advised the legal and technical teams to put in all efforts to achieve an equitable and legitimate water share for Telangana. He told the teams to pursue all issues aggressively without any compromise before the tribunal and the SC.