VIJAYAWADA: The process of notifying the jurisdiction of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is learnt to have reached the final stage and State officials expect that the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) will give its final approval shortly.
Once approved, all the common projects on River Krishna that serve both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana would be under the administrative and operational control of the board, drawing curtains on almost a seven-year-long issue.
Soon after the second Apex Council meeting in October 2020, in which Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced that the ministry decided to notify the jurisdiction of both KRMB and Godavari River Management Board (KRMB), KRMB has sent the draft working manual to the ministry.
After the secretary-level officials scrutinised it, sources said that the manual, which specifies rules required for the day-to-day functions of the Board, including jurisdiction, procedure for transaction of business, conduct meetings, staff requirement and others, is under the ministry’s perusal for the final clearance. “We expect that the notification will be issued next month,” a senior official said.
In the meantime, the State government in coordination with KRMB is also likely to complete the process of finalising a suitable office space in Visakhapatnam for relocation of the board’s headquarters from Hyderabad. As per AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, both the river boards were to be constituted within 60 days from the appointment date of bifurcation, i.e. June 2, 2014.
While AP sought the notification of the jurisdiction so that the project management would be in the hands of the board, thus ensuring transparency in water allocation and usage, Telangana had expressed reservations that it be finalised only after the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal - II finalises the allocation of water. In fact, the draft manual was circulated between both the states on multiple occasions, but no progress was made. However, as Telangana continued to object, the Centre, in the last Apex Council meeting, said states’ consensus was not needed and that it would go ahead with the jurisdiction notification.