HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has expressed concern over construction of barrages by Karnataka government across Krishna and also over AP government’s proposal to construct Rajolibanda Right Canal.
Telangana principal secretary (irrigation) wrote letters to the Central Water Commission, water resources and river development ministry, irrigation secretaries of Karnataka and AP raising objections over the two projects that are being conceived by its neighbours AP and Karnataka.
Irrigation principal secretary SK Joshi, in his letter to AP irrigation secretary, said that the AP government was going ahead with Rajolibanda Diversion Right Canal Scheme.
Originally RDS was contemplated to irrigate 87,500 acres in Telangana region by using 15.9 tmc on left side of Tungabhadra river. Against 15.9 tmc of water to TS, only 5 tmc is being realised for all these decades. “In these circumstances, taking up of RDS Right Canal Scheme may further aggravate the suffering of ayacutdars on left side in Telangana,” Joshi said in the letter.
Taking up of Right Canal is against the spirit of AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 which stipulates that planning of new projects have to be appraised and recommended by the Krishna River Management Board and by the CWC and thereafter it requires sanction by the Apex Council.
‘’Under these circumstances, AP government is requested not to proceed with Rajolibanda Right Canal Scheme pending adjudication of the references by KWDT-2 and Supreme Court. Further proceeding with Rajolibanda Diversion Right Canal Scheme without the clearance of the CWC and approval of Krishna River Management Board, Apex Council would tantamount to violation of the provisions AP Reorganisation Act,” Joshi said.
Meanwhile, Joshi referred to the projects taken up by Karnataka. Karnataka has taken up construction of barrage across inter-state river Krishna near Gurjapur village in Raichur district about 3 km upstream of Krishna-Bhima confluence point.
In addition to this, Karnataka has constructed 52 barrages on main river Krishna, Bhima and other tributaries of Krishna, to deny the flow into main river without any clearance or approval from the CWC.
“The utilisation in all these barrages would be more than 75 tmc in excess of its allocated quantity of Karnataka state,” the irrigation secretary said in the letter.
Joshi requested the commissioner of ministry of water resources to advise Karnataka government not to proceed with construction of Gurjapur barrage, without statutory clearances from the relevant authorities and especially when the inter-state disputes on river Krishna are sub-judice before the Tribunal and Supreme Court.