Why restraints on AP, why not TS, asks Jagan Mohan Reddy

Amaravati: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in reply to the letter of Union Minister of Jal Shakti urging the Chief Ministers of the Telugu States to cooperate with the Centre in settling river water disputes, categorically stated that AP was prepared to cooperate fully and he himself was ready to attend the meeting as scheduled.

Jagan on Tuesday questioned the Minister as to why there was no restraint on Telangana, but only AP. AP was well within its provisions and allocations in planning the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and embargo must not be put on it framing it under the Reorganisation Act while accusing Telangana of reaping all advantages without submitting itself to any scrutiny under the Act.

Wondering how the officials failed to inform the willingness of AP to attend the Apex Council meeting on August 5 to the Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy urged upon the former to lift the embargo and facilitate the Government to go ahead with all preliminary steps in making the State access the allotted better.

"It is important having regard to the high intention behind conferment of relevant authority on the Apex Council to sagaciously handle its functions, AP considers it important that its intervention can generate confidence and comfort," he said in the letter.

Reassuring the Centre that Andhra Pradesh was neither creating any new ayacut nor any new canal or new storage under the RLIS "but taking up this supplementing Scheme to only draw water at a level of 800 feet connecting to the existing canal to meet the drinking and irrigation needs of the critically and chronically drought-prone areas of Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts well within its allocation, as Pothireddypadu Head Regulator cannot draw any water below reservoir level of 854 ft". While restraining AP from undertaking Rayalaseema LIS with no similar direction to Telangana in the past would result in an irreparable damage to AP's interest, he added.

The Rayalaseema LIS had also been seen by the Committee constituted by NGT, Chennai Bench, and Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI, and in their view this was not a new project or any upgradation with additional dimensions and these points should be noted and the clearance given in their meeting on 29th July, be respected he said.

He said, "both the KRMB and the Apex Council would deem fit to step in only when a project fulfils elements of a new project. The embargo put upon RLIS scheme should not appear to fit within any scheme of the Reorganisation Act and the advantages being reaped by Telangana without submitting itself to any scrutiny under the Act".

In view of "The "High intention" behind conferment of relevant authority on the Apex Council to sagaciously handle its functions, the State of AP considered it important that its intervention could generate confidence and comfort.

AP was left with no other option except to take up the RLIS "to lift 3 T MC /day from Srisailam Reservoir when its level falls below 854 feet to facilitate drawal of drinking and irrigation needs of the critically and chronically drought prone areas of Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam districts.

This will serve the needs of the existing projects allocated by KWDT-I and ongoing projects mentioned in para 10 of eleventh schedule of AP Reorganisation Act 2014 and the State will restrict itself within the allocation of KWDT under the supervision/control of KRMB, as Telangana State is doing" he said trashing the argument of Telangana in this regard.

"The KRMB too has directed Telangana not to go ahead with the new projects which are also at 800 feet only. If all Telangana projects are at 800 feet level itself...why should AP operate at above 854 feet and that too drawing only a meagre discharge at 854 level?. It is only at 881 feet that AP gets to draw their potential share" he said.

"In Godavari Basin, Telangana have undertaken new projects. All these projects would adversely cut into the AP share of water. There is no mention in the letter of yours of any restraint on Telangana from going ahead with the new projects after bifurcation", he said.