HYDERABAD: As directed by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on Thursday sent its observations on AP’s ‘controversial’ GO 203 to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry. According to sources, KRMB chairman J Chandrashekhar Iyer prepared a confidential report after discussing the issue with Board’s member-secretary A Paramesham. “No other employee of the KRMB is involved in the process.
The KRMB chairman personally wrote the letter after discussing the matter with the member-secretary,” sources informed Express. As many irrigation experts and retired engineers expressed the opinion that AP’s project is a ‘new’ and ‘illegal’ one, the KRMB’s report is expected to be in favour of Telangana, they added. Board chief Iyer, however, was not available for comment.
The AP government had issued the GO 203 to divert Krishna river waters from Srisailam to Rayalaseema through Pothireddypadu by drawing around 8 tmcft water daily with an estimated cost of `6,829.15 crore.
On Tuesday, BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar shot off a letter on the issue to Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who immediately directed the KRMB to give its report within two days.
The Andhra Pradesh’s GO stirred up much political hullabaloo in both the sibling states. In TS, the Opposition parties organised protests against the order. In case the KRMB’s report is not in favour of Telangana, the only option left before the State government is to knock at the doors of Jal Shakti Ministry and request it to convene a meeting of the Apex Council.