VIJAYAWADA: Contrary to the claims of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao that both Telugu-speaking states mutually agreed in the first Apex Council meeting on water resources management, in September 2016, to go ahead with the proposed projects on the Krishna, the minutes of the meeting reveal that no such consensus was arrived at.
This, and the fact that the Palamuru-Rangareddy project is yet to get an environment clearance even as works are underway, state officials inferred, would give ammunition to the AP government to argue that the objections raised by Telangana regarding the proposed Rayalaseema Pumping Scheme were unjustified.
In fact, the AP government, which is preparing a counter to be filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which stayed the project after a farmer from Telangana filed a petition, is ready to move the Supreme Court regarding the proposed scheme as it is only a supplementary scheme to draw the allocated share of water.
On May 18, Chandrasekhar Rao, in response to a query on the complaint made by the AP Water Resources Department about Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi and other projects in the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meeting, said, “The AP government moved the Supreme Court against the Palamuru-Rangareddy project. The court referred it to the Apex Council. There was another CM back then (September, 2016). We discussed the issue and he (Chandrababu Naidu) agreed. It was agreed that AP would build its project and we would go ahead with ours. Accordingly, we started our works. The same was recorded in the minutes of the meeting.”
Telangana ‘illegal’ projects may give ammo to AP govt
However, as per the proceedings recorded by the Union Ministry of Water Resources, the then AP CM said the two projects — Palamuru Rangareddy and Dindi — could be referred by Telangana to the KRMB/Central Water Commission for appraisal until project-wise allocation was made. “Only after allocation of water by Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, both the states may propose new projects as per their requirement,” the then CM was recorded to have said.
Chandrasekhar Rao, on the other hand, pointed out that both projects were not new and that orders for the same were issued by the erstwhile AP government in 2014 for Palamuru-Rangareddy and in 2007 for Dindi. “Telangana is an upper riparian State, but irrigation is possible only through lift irrigation schemes. Telangana will restrict itself within the allocation made by KWDT-II and will go ahead with the above two projects,” he said, according to the minutes of the meeting.
This made the then chairperson of the committee, also the Union Water Resources minister, Uma Bharati note, “Due to divergent position taken by the two states on this item, convene Apex Council meeting as and when required to resolve the issues raised by both the states.” However, the second Apex Council meeting has not been held and the Union ministry recently wrote to the AP government to submit agenda points as the meeting is “likely to be convened shortly”. “The statement was misleading as no such consensus was recorded in the proceedings of the first apex council meeting,” a senior official pointed out.
Besides this, sources in the AP government pointed out that Palamuru Rangareddy project doesn’t have environmental clearance even though the neighbouring state government is taking up its execution works. According to documents reviewed by TNIE, the Telangana government was given environmental clearance for pre-construction activities on October 11, 2017. The Union Ministry of Forests and Environment (MOEF), giving the terms of reference for final clearance, had given four years for submission of environment impact assessment (EIA)/environmental management plan (EMP) report for final clearance. Sources said the process was still ongoing and the final clearance has not been given yet.
“But all major works are going on in complete violation of norms,” a senior official observed.
“On the one hand, the Telangana government doesn’t conform to the environmental norms, and on the other, it goes ahead with the projects without KRMB/CWC’s appraisal. But, when we propose a project only to supplement the existing infrastructure to draw our rightful share, it has a problem. We are filing our counter in NGT shortly. If the tribunal doesn’t stay, we will move the apex court,” the senior official asserted. Sources said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy too was determined to go ahead with the project. “The CM is clear that we will use it to draw only our share of water and not a drop more. Anyway, the KRMB is there to monitor it. We are accordingly chalking out our strategy,” the official added.
Minutes don’t say both states agreed
Telangana CM KCR had said both states agreed to go ahead with the proposed projects on the Krishna, but the minutes of the meeting reveal that no such consensus was arrived at.