Centre steps up bid to take up TS, AP irrigation projects

HYDERABAD: The union ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) has stepped up efforts to implement its gazette taking over irrigation projects on the Krishna and the Godavari rivers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as scheduled from October 14.

The MoJS held a meeting with chairmen of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) in Delhi on Monday to finalise the modalities for implementing the gazette issued on July 15. The ministry on Monday appointed two chief engineers each for two boards to oversee the implementation of the gazette.

Although both the Telangana and the AP governments have raised several concerns and doubts on the gazette and sought deferment of implementation of the gazette until their concerns and doubts are addressed, the MoJS did not give any hint on deferment, according to official sources in the irrigation department.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao sought deferment of implementation of the gazette when he met union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during his recent visit to Delhi on September 6. But there has been no response from MoJS on the Chief Minister’s request so far.

As the October 14 deadline is just a month away, the MoJS has initiated the process to take over irrigation projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Both the governments requested the MoJS to take control of only common projects in Krishna basins like Srisailam, Nagarjuna Sagar and Pulichintala and to remove other projects which are under the territorial jurisdiction of respective states from the gazette.

Both the governments also requested to remove projects in the Godavari basin from the gazette since there are no common projects. They urged MoJS to allow respective states to operate projects on their own in consultation with the boards, which are not common projects.

However, the MoJS did not respond to any of the issues raised by the Telangana and the AP governments during the meeting held in Delhi on Monday. Official sources said the MoJS only asked the chairmen of the KRMB and the GRMB to go ahead with the implementation of gazette as scheduled from October 14.