No Breakthrough In AP, Telangana Meet On Waters

In the wake of the Centre's directive to them to hammer out a solution in one month on the controversial Krishna river water allocation and distribution, the officials of the irrigation departments of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana today held a crucial meeting but made no headway.

Telangana Principal Secretary (Irrigation) S K Joshi and Secretary Vikas Raj, and Andhra Pradesh Secretary (Irrigation) Shashi Bhushan held discussions on the issue and decided to meet again in two or three days.

The meeting was held following a directive from Union Waters Resources Minister Uma Bharati to the two States to hammer out a solution by sitting across the table in a month.

S K Joshi later stated that the Centre had to take a final call on water distribution row.

"We welcome the Centre's decision for an expert committee that will have its say, and we will abide by its direction," he said. Upon receiving the guidelines from the expert committee, the two States would put forth their arguments paving the way for a solution, he said.

The Centre has already constituted an expert committee on the issue to act in a month. Based on this committee's guidelines, the two States will have to set the norms of allocation and use of waters.

It may be said here that the Union Water Resources Ministry, on receiving a complaint from the Telangana government, had shown the door to some Krishna River Water Management Board officials for being partisan and favouring Andhra Pradesh. Without the Centre's suggestion the Board sought to press Telangana to accept a unilateral notification prepared "in violation of norms".