BENGALURU: A technical committee will be formed to look into issues related to Tamil Nadu not getting its quota of the Krishna river water to provide drinking water to Chennai. According to the 1983 agreement between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, 12 tmcft of Krishna water will be supplied to Chennai.
The decision to form the committee headed by chairperson of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) was taken at the 28th meeting of the Southern Zonal Council held in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The council meeting was chaired by Union Minister Rajnath Singh. Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Puducherry and Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and ministers from other states attended the meeting.
“As per the 1983 agreement, Tamil Nadu has to get 12 tmcft of water to provide drinking water to Chennai. The states are saying they have released the water, but Tamil Nadu government says it is not getting that much water. A committee has been formed to find out the reason and identify bottleneck,” Secretary of the Council R Buhril said. “Discussion was very cordial.
Everyone agreed that they will sit and sort out the issue. It was very promising,” he added. Engineers-in-chief of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra will be part of the technical committee. Karnataka had earlier stated that TN’s claims that Karnataka and Maharastra are yet to release their share of 5 tmcft of water was unfounded.
On Golden Chariot
The meeting also discussed measures to make luxury train ‘Golden Chariot’ more viable by reducing haulage charges to be paid to the Railways. Karnataka government has submitted a proposal to expand its operations in other states, especially in south India. In all, the council resolved 22 out of 27 issues discussed during the meeting.
Committee for tackling red sanders smuggling
The council decided to form a committee headed by secretary to Ministry of Home Affairs for better coordination among the agencies to tackle red sanders smuggling. Red sander is endemic to the Seshachalam and Veligonda hill ranges in Kadappa, Chittoor and other parts of Nellore, Prakasam and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. The AP government proposed that cooperation and coordination among states by forming joint interstate teams. The council also decided the need for 100% implementation of issuing biometric cards for fishermen.