In big victory for Telangana in Krishna water dispute tribunal with Andhra Pradesh

In a statement, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy welcomed the Tribunal’s decision.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and others attended the hearing of the Krishna River water-sharing dispute between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and others attended the hearing of the Krishna River water-sharing dispute between Telangana and Andhra PradeshPhoto | Express
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HYDERABAD: In a major victory for Telangana, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 has decided to hear the Further Terms of Reference (ToR) issued by the Union government under Section 3 of the Interstate River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956, before addressing arguments under Section 89 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

In its order delivered on Thursday, the Tribunal, headed by Brijesh Kumar, stated: “As to which of the two references may be heard first, we find it appropriate to hear the Further Reference first since it also involves the question of sharing water between the two states, which may have relevance in making project-wise allocation as envisaged in reference under Section 89 of the AP Reorganisation Act.”

Telangana had requested that the Tribunal prioritise the Further ToR. However, Andhra Pradesh opposed this, seeking simultaneous hearings of both references and challenging the validity of the Further Reference by filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court.

The Tribunal noted: “Some of the issues in the two references are overlapping, but some are not. If the hearing of both references takes place simultaneously and is disposed of in a single order, complications may arise if Andhra Pradesh succeeds in its writ petition challenging the validity of the Further Reference. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to hear the two matters separately.”

Following this decision, the Tribunal has scheduled the hearing of the Further ToR under Section 3 for February 19.

In a statement, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy welcomed the Tribunal’s decision. “One of the main reasons for the formation of Telangana state was the injustice in the allocation of Krishna and Godavari waters. After Telangana’s formation in 2014, KCR made an agreement with AP, granting Telangana only 299 tmcft and AP 512 tmcft of the 811 tmcft awarded by the Bachawat Tribunal to the erstwhile combined state. This is not accurate, as 68.5% of the Krishna basin catchment area lies within Telangana. Accordingly, Telangana should receive 555 tmcft (68.5% of 811 tmcft) as its due share,” Uttam said.

He added that prioritising the hearing of the Further ToR would strengthen Telangana’s case for a fair share of Krishna waters.

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