PNS | Vijayawada
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and direct the authorities concerned to cease further proceedings on the terms of reference issued to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) under Section 5(1) of the ISRWD Act, 1956. The Chief Minister expressed concern that this unilateral reference would jeopardise the interests of the people of Andhra Pradesh.
In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Reddy stated, “I am of the firm view that such a unilateral reference to an Inter-State River Water Dispute Tribunal, only for two states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), to the absolute exclusion of the other two basin states (Maharashtra and Karnataka), is not only unscientific but is also against the overall judicious use of water resources as a national asset.” He called on the Prime Minister to intervene urgently in the matter.
The memorandum also highlighted that in earlier meetings, a working arrangement related to water regulation by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) had been established, allocating 512 TMC to Andhra Pradesh and 299 TMC to Telangana out of the total 811 TMC allocated to the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh. This arrangement was part of a tripartite agreement signed by the Government of India and the Governments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The Chief Minister pointed out that he had previously drawn the attention of the Minister of Jala Shakti to the issue on August 17, 2021, and later on June 25, 2022, urging a judicious decision that would not disrupt the settled allocations by the Tribunals.
However, despite this, the people of Andhra Pradesh were surprised to learn about the Union Cabinet’s approval on October 4, 2023, for the issuance of Terms of Reference (ToR) to KWDT-II under Section 5(1) of the ISRWD Act, 1956, based on Telangana’s complaint dated July 14, 2014.
The Chief Minister’s appeal to the Prime Minister is for immediate intervention and the direction of the concerned authorities to halt further proceedings on the terms of reference issued to KWDT-II.
