SC May Club TG and AP Petitions on Krishna River Water Sharing

 Hyderabad: A plea in the Supreme Court by AP to direct the Centre to take control of the Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs shared with Telangana, as well as the Pulichintala reservoir, if necessary with the help of police protection, came up for hearing on Monday.

The apex court has decided to place the AP government petition along with the one filed by Telangana challenging AP’s plea, before the Chief Justice for a decision regarding the hearing of both pleas.

Justice B.R. Gavai, who heard Telangana’s plea filed on 7.9.2024 to quash the Gazette Notification dt 15-07-2021 on jurisdiction of projects to be taken over by the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), and its amendment dt 27-07-2022, posted hearing to November 6.

Telangana argued that as per the AP Reorganisation Act, the KRMB has to function as per the tribunal awards or inter-state agreements. There was no binding tribunal award or agreement between the two states on sharing of water and to monitor the projects, it said. Telangana also said that the project-wise specific allocation was being adjudicated under KWDT-II.

At a separate hearing of the petition from AP, Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Augustine George Masin directed the registry to place both pleas before the Chief Justice.

In its petition, AP sought the setting aside of GO Rt. No.34, Energy (Power-II) department, dated 28.6.2021, issued by Telangana. In addition to the Centre taking control of the three reservoirs, AP’s petition alleged that Telangana was drawing water from Krishna river against the binding award of KWDT-I and existing operating protocols.

The AP government said the GO issued by Telangana was against the KWDT-I award and that Telangana was releasing water to the sea through power generation depleting Srisailam, and Nagarjunasagar reservoirs and Pulichintala (Krishna Delta system) affecting the uses of AP under the projects.

The Justice Oka bench which heard AP’s petition ordered the “Registry to place this (Aps) petition as well as Writ Petition (Civil) No.666 of 2024 (of Telangana) before the Chief Justice of India on the administrative side as perhaps both the petitions will have to be heard by the same Bench.”