Krishna Water Dispute: Harish Rao Meets Uma Bharti

With Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao complaining about the recent notification by the Krishna River Water Management Board (KRMB) to her in New Delhi, Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti directed Telangana Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma to hold talks with the Board and also with the Union Irrigation Secretary to sort out the issue.

Rao complained to Uma Bharti against the Board for its "unilateral" draft notification that he claimed was hampering Telangana's interests. Along with Telangana special envoy at Delhi S Venugopala Chary and TRS MPs in Delhi, Rao submitted a memorandaum to Bharti and sought "justice" through the stalling of the Krishna Board notification which he claimed was in favour of the Andhra Pradesh government.

Later, at a media conference, Rao criticized the Krishna Board notification saying it was drafted by the AP government, and that its approval by the Centre would only violate the Act passed in Parliament recently.

Rao further added that though the Bachawat Tribunal had allotted 299 TMC for Telangana and 512 TMC to AP, it was not final. He lashed out at the KRMB for overshooting its limits and favouring the Andhra Pradesh government on the river water usage. The Board instead of monitoring was indulging in allocation against the norms, he fumed.

He lamented that the allocation of waters to Telangana at the Pulichintala, Krishna Delta and KC canal projects also led to the State's rightful share being denied.

"We are expecting that the Centre will clarify on correct allocation of waters to Telangana," he added.