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Don’t notify Brijesh Award: CM; PM says Centre has limitations
Highlights
Don’t Notify Brijesh Award: CM; PM Says Centre Has Limitations. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, leading an all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to notify Brijesh Kumar Tribunal Award.
l All-party delegation pleads for exclusive right over surplus waters
l TRS leaders say not a single tmc ft extra given to drought-prone Telangana
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, leading an all-party delegation from Andhra Pradesh, on Friday, urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to notify Brijesh Kumar Tribunal Award. Kiran Reddy wanted the Centre’s intervention to ensure justice to Andhra Pradesh in the Krishna Waters Dispute.
The Prime Minister directed Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat, who was present, to get the issue examined by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The Prime Minister pointed out that the Supreme Court stay is already there. When the Chief Minister urged that the Centre should implead in the case in the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister said the Centre had its own limitations. All the leaders, in one voice, pleaded that the Award should not be notified, dependability should remain at 75 per cent and not reduced to 65 per cent and rights of the lower riparian State should be protected, as it has the exclusive rights over the surplus waters.
In his memorandum to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister stated, “Keeping all the precarious situations and the further sufferings burdened upon by the Tribunal, we, the representatives of all political parties of Andhra Pradesh, in one voice with a fortiori, request you, sir, to intervene and show a benign attitude in ensuring due justice to the State of Andhra Pradesh as the decision of Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunal has the potential to inflict immense injury upon the State of Andhra Pradesh.”
The delegation led by Kiran comprised Andhra Pradesh Ministers K Jana Reddy and Sudarshan Reddy, besides K Siva Prasad Rao and Ravula Chandrashekhar Reddy (TDP), B V Raghavulu and Ranga Reddy (CPM), K Narayana (CPI), Asaduddin Owaisi (MIM), G Vinod (TRS), N Janardhan Reddy (BJP), Umareddi Venkateshwarulu (YSRCP), D Rama Rao (Lok Satta) and Vidyasagar Rao (irrigation expert).
TRS leader G Vinod and Nagam Janardhan Reddy (BJP), both brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that Brijesh Kumar Tribunal did not allocate even a single tmc of water in the drought-prone Telangana area like SLBC, Kalwakurthy, Netterampadu Lift Irrigation Scheme and the contemplated Palamur LIS. If proper allocation is made for these projects, lakhs of people could be saved from the dreaded disease of flourosis in Nalgonda district.
The Chief Minister, who argued the State’s case, pointed out that the water flows in the Krishna are of a peculiar nature. It has meagre flows once in every four years, which creates a drought-like situation in the entire basin. The river is also subject to frequent floods in other years, which causes immense devastation. The floods and cyclone of 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013 have caused immense havoc in the State, he said.
The Bachawat Award did not provide for a distress-sharing formula in its decision. However, recognising the basin disadvantage of Andhra Pradesh, as a lower-riparian State, it has given to Andhra Pradesh the liberty to use all surplus waters over and above 2130 tmc in a water year, while at the same time not creating a right for Andhra Pradesh. The liberty given by the Tribunal has mitigated to some extent the distress faced by the farmers of Andhra Pradesh, during the drought years and compensated for the losses suffered by the farmers during the floods and cyclone.
The liberty to use the surplus water is now curtailed by assuming the availability of water and redistributing the waters below 75 per cent dependability and up to average flows by Brijesh Tribunal Award decision. The adoption of different dependability by Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunal would result in three sets of projects: one at 75 per cent dependability; other at 65 per cent dependability; and third at average and operation of all the three sets of projects would become a near-impossible task for any state government, Kiran Reddy said.
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