VIJAYAWADA: Even as both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments have sought amendments to the gazettes issued on the jurisdiction of Krishna and Godavari river management boards, it is learnt that the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) is keen on implementing most of the clauses of the notification from October 14 as decided.
With just two weeks left for October 14, how the boards will implement the clauses seems to be the “million dollar question” among the State officials. As several issues are still pending to be resolved, the boards may take over the projects’ operation, administration and maintenance in a phased manner, sources said, adding there is still no clarity on how it would be done.
Ever since the gazette notification was issued on July 15, both the States have been pushing for changes in the provisions. The same was intimated to both KRMB and GRMB by AP, which also wrote to the MOJS detailing its views. Similarly, Telangana has also submitted its concerns. Subsequently, the Union ministry appointed chief engineer-level officials to both KRMB and GRMB to enable them oversee the implementation of the clauses of the jurisdiction notifications.
Both the boards, which held a series of meetings with both the States, have constituted seven-member sub-committees each for the implementation of the same. However, not much headway seems to be made as both AP and TS have sought clarity on several clauses. In fact, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao has requested MoJS to defer the implementation of the notifications from October 14 as several issues need to be reworked.
“We have submitted to both the boards and also the MoJS our views and the fine-tuning that needs to be done to certain clauses of the notifications. We have not received any response as such. But, from the mood of the ministry, it appears that it is keen on implementing the notifications from October 14,” a senior official privy to the developments told TNIE.
For the record, there are at least 12 “actionable clauses” that need to be resolved in consultation with both the States, according to the minutes of the coordination committee meetings held by both KRMB and GRMB last month. These include payment of one-time seed money of `200 crore to each board by each State, deployment of CISF cover at the projects, transfer of projects to boards including plant, machinery, sanctioned employee posts, office premises, equipment and other infrastructure, and stopping the works of all “unapproved projects” and get them “cleared” within six months, failing which the projects shall cease to operate.
It may be noted that both the States have informed that only common reservoirs in the river basins should be under the complete control of the boards. AP said that the boards can just monitor the water utilisations from other projects. It also asked to remove some irrigation projects, which are already in operation or which were approved in the united state, from the list of unapproved projects.