Who blinks first? River Boards or Telangana Government?

Hyderabad: A piquant situation is prevailing in the Irrigation department. The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) are supposed to take over the irrigation projects from Thursday but the Telangana Government is opposed to it.

At the same time, the government is worried that if it takes a tough stand and does not agree to hand over the projects to these boards it would amount to open defiance of the Union Government's directions and the consequences could be serious. It is still not clear whether or not it should approach the apex court with the prayer that the gazette notification be kept in abeyance.

On the other hand, the boards too are wondering whether they should take over the projects on Thursday or wait for a couple of days more to see if the State Government issues a GO handing over the projects to them or not. If the present mood is any indication, the boards are likely to give a couple of days more time to the State Government to issue the GO. They prefer a smooth transition of power. They are also likely to wait for a directive from the Union Jal Shakti Ministry.

Meanwhile, official sources told The Hans India that they had briefed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao about the discussions that had taken place on Tuesday at the KRMB meeting. They are also said to have informed the CM there was no change in AP Government's stand and it was ready to handover the projects to the boards.

It may be mentioned here that the notification clearly states that the government should hand over the projects to the board by October 14. But the state government has been arguing that ignoring the state's concerns is against the federal spirit. Though normally all States abide by the Centre's gazette, in this case it is a matter of the State interests at stake and hence so much of discussion and consultations, officials add.