Krishna barrage: No rules violated, says Karnataka government

RAICHUR: Even as opposition from Telangana state leaders to the construction of a gated barrage across the Krishna at Gurjapur village in Raichur district gets stronger, the Karnataka government has clarified that there is no violation of  rules on its part.

The state government has taken up construction of the barrage at the confluence of Krishna and Bhima rivers near Gurjapur village at an estimated cost of Rs 102 crore to ensure supply of water to the Karnataka Power Corporation’s Raichur Thermal Power Station. The project is aimed at utilizing 0.45 tmcft of water allocated under the Bachawat award.

In view of attempts by Telangana MLAs and MPs to  inspect the site with their followers, a law and order problem has cropped at the border. On Wednesday, traffic on the busy Raichur-Hyderabad inter-state highway was thrown out of gear for more than two hours following protests by Congress workers at Krishna village in Maktal taluk, Telangana on Wednesday. Two teams of political leaders -one led by Gadwal Congress MLA D.K. Aruna and the other by YSR Congress leader and Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy-visited the spot. Anticipating trouble the district administration imposed prohibitary orders under Section 144 of the CrPC.

Mrs Aruna made a scathing attack on the Karnataka government accusing it of violating the Bachawat Tribunal Award. “The construction of the barrage will affect the supply of Krishna water to Mahaboobnagar district which is already facing severe water shortage. It is clear that the Karnataka government does not want any water to flow to downstream areas. Once completed, parts of Mahaboobnagar district will not get a drop of water. The Telangana government should immediately restrain the Karnataka government from going ahead with the project”, she demanded.

However Raichur district in-charge minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil repudiated the statement. “It’s not proper on their part to politicise the matter. We are well within our right to utilise the water”, Dr Patil stated.