New Delhi: Delhi Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has emphasized the need for strong arguments regarding water allocations under Section 3 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act (ISRWD Act) of 1956. During a review meeting of the state’s irrigation department held at his official residence in Delhi on Wednesday evening, Reddy highlighted the importance of presenting robust arguments before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II).
Reddy pointed out that water allocations should be carried out as per Section 89 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act (APRA) of 2014, which mandates project-wise water allocations. He also mentioned that the Apex Council, established under the APRA, has recommended water distribution between the two states based on Section 3.
Despite the Andhra Pradesh government’s appeal to the Supreme Court regarding the further terms of reference for KWDT-II, the Chief Minister noted that the apex court has not issued any stay orders. The review meeting was attended by Telangana’s Minister for Irrigation Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ministers Sridhar Babu and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari, Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary V. Seshadri, Advisor to the Government (Irrigation) Adityanath Das, and Secretary for Irrigation Rahul Bojja.
Reddy directed officials to raise objections on behalf of Telangana against the Godavari-Banakarla interlinking project undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government without necessary permissions. He instructed them to write letters to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, and the Godavari and Krishna River Management Boards (GRMB and KRMB).
The Chief Minister also stressed the need to complete the study on the Polavaram project’s impact on Bhadrachalam by IIT Hyderabad within the stipulated time. Additionally, he urged officials to expedite the process of obtaining approvals for the Sammakka Sarakka Barrage and the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme.
