HYDERABAD: Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Monday, August 2, 2021, advised both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to resolve the disputes between them over Krishna river waters through dialogue in an atmosphere of mutual trust and accommodation.
As soon as the petition filed by Andhra Pradesh claiming Telangana was illegally utilising Krishna waters came up for hearing at the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice said it would be in the fitness of things if both the States sat together and resolved the issue. Mediation by a third party was not advisable, he suggested.
AP had filed the petition praying for a direction from the Supreme Court to ‘restrain Telangana from over-utilising Krishna waters in the name of power generation and letting the precious water down the river’. Justice Ramana said he was not interested in going into the legal merits of the arguments of the two States, but would only advise them to find an amicable solution through talks.
He said that as he belonged to both the States, he would help them if they were ready to hammer out their differences. He would, however, recuse himself from the case if the States insisted on seeking a resolution from the Centre and others. Senior counsel Dushyant Dave, representing AP, said that the CJI had given a piece of advice that was within the parameters of law. He said he would seek the opinion of the government as it was a politically sensitive case.
Dave, referring to the recent border disputes in two North Eastern States, said similar unrest was brewing over sharing of the river waters. Reacting to this, the CJI advised that one should not entertain fears of possible trouble between the Telugu States even in one’s wildest dreams.