HYDERABAD: The Union Water Resources Ministry will soon convene a meeting of the Apex Council to resolve the pending river water issues between the sibling States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Union Water Resources Ministry (Jal Sakthi) asked the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to send the agenda points for the Apex Council meeting to be held under the chairmanship of Jal Sakthi Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shortly.
The Chief Ministers of both the States are the members of the Apex Council, which was constituted as per the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
“The date for the Apex Council meeting has not yet been finalised. We will prepare the agenda only after discussing the matter with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao,” an official in Irrigation Department told Express on Wednesday.
Shifting of KRMB office
The Telangana government opposed a recent proposal to shift the office of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to Amaravati.
It wants the KRMB office to function from Hyderabad till the cases on sharing of Krishna waters before the Tribunal are cleared.
Both the states lodged complaints at the Apex Council meeting in the past over several issues. However, in the wake of cordial relations between the chief ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh—K Chandrasekhar Rao and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy—several pending issues with regard to Godavari and Krishna rivers are expected to be resolved amicably at the forthcoming Apex Council meeting.
As the officials of the two States used to frequently argue with each other over the construction of new projects, including Sitarama and Pattiseema projects, the Godavari River Management Board had log ago decided to approach the Apex Council to define what is a new project as there was no clarity on that subject in the AP Reorganisation Act.
While Telangana claims that the Sitharama project was not a new one as it was approved by the combined AP government, the latter argues its a new project.
The TS termed Pattiseema as a new project, the AP rejected that. It is likely that clarity may emerge on the subject in the Apex Council meeting.