HYDERABAD: The Telangana Irrigation Department officials are gearing up to present effective arguments on water sharing before the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), National Green Tribunal (NGT), and Supreme Court.
The KRMB meeting is scheduled to be held on August 27. On the same day, the cases will come up for hearing in the NGT and Supreme Court as well.
Special Chief Secretary of Irrigation, Rajat Kumar, held a meeting at Jala Soudha on Thursday with officials from the inter-state wing of the Irrigation Department and discussed how the State would present effective arguments before the KRMB, NGT and Apex Court.
As the KRMB has included Telangana’s demand for 50:50 share in Krishna river waters in its agenda, the officials would push for the same in the Board meeting. “The Board has included our demands in the agenda. We have to present effective arguments to achieve 50 per cent share in Krishna river waters this year,” an official said.
As Telangana has also succeeded in ‘exposing’ the Andhra Pradesh government’s Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, the officials would submit their views on the KRMB report before the NGT. The withdrawal petition filed by Telangana would come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on the same day. The State decided to withdraw the petition with a request to the Central government for a fresh water sharing agreement between the two States, under Section 3 of the Inter State River Water Disputes Act.