The Andhra Government denies entry to Telangana officials at the Rayalaseema Project Site on Aug. 5
Ahead of the visit of a team of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to its Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project (RLIP) on August 5, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday denied permission to Telangana government officials accompanying the team to visit the project site.
Raising objections, the Andhra Pradesh government said it will not allow Telangana state officials to go along with the official team of Krishna board to visit the Rayalaseema project on August 5. It has written to the board that no one from Telangana government will be allowed to visit the Rayalaseema lift irrigation project.
Andhra Pradesh Engineer-in-Chief (ENP) Narayana Reddy said he wrote a letter to the Krishna Board, as per the government instructions, to disallow a team from Telangana state to visit the site.
The visit by the team of KRMB is being seen as significant as the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Telangana government, which objected the gazette notification, had already filed a complaint to the Centre and the board about illegal construction of the projects in Andhra Pradesh.
The Centre took a decision to sort out the issue by issuing a gazette notification which mandates both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states respectively to follow its guidelines for use of judicious water. The gazette notification, in a nutshell, entails to check all adversaries on both sides, promote a friendly environment for judicious use of water.
It will allow both Krishna and Godavari Boards to ensure that the two sparring states should adhere to the guidelines and norms on water usage and take up the works for the construction of the projects by getting due permissions, produce power and make use of water as per allocations made.
Telangana government has urged the board for 50:50 per cent of water allocation until Bachawat tribunal takes a call. The related works were understood to have been stalled in Andhra Pradesh as the Krishna board directed to stop them.
In a coordination meeting of both boards, Andhra Pradesh ENC informed that the government will not give details of the projects being objected to by Telangana.
At Jala Saudha in Hyderabad, the two boards, board member secretary BP Pandey, Jal Shakti ministry official, both ENCs and officials concerned attended and discussed on the gazette notification.
The official team has asked the two states to avoid feud and follow the gazette notification to address the water dispute and use judicious water as allocated, besides obtaining needed permissions for construction works of the projects.
The Andhra Pradesh government officials have also denied to provide details of the projects to the board. Reacting to this, the board has suggested to file complaints to the Centre, if any, by giving details of the projects.
The Andhra Pradesh government officials have said that they will go as per the government directions and sought clarity on the gazette notification issued.
