KCR, Telangana Chief Minister, has asked officials to take the Center during the Apex Council meeting booked on October 6 over the sharing of Krishna and Godavari river waters among Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Expressing that the Center is sitting idle, he guided the authorities to be firm in requesting that there should be complete transparency on the designation of water to Telangana.
Chief Minister, who is also popularly known as KCR, the officials to set up all arguments on the side of the fair demands of Telangana on the issue.
The KCR has assembled a high-level gathering with Water Resources Department officials on Thursday to have a discussion on the strategy to be adopted at the Apex Council meeting.
He directed the officials concerned to accompany total information and data and issues to be put before the Central government.
An announcement from the Chief Minister’s Office cited him as saying: Andhra Pradesh state is intentionally creating disputes on the River water sharing. We have to give an appropriate reply to the AP State’s arguments at the Apex Council meeting. Give absolute transparency on issues so that the AP government will not raise the issues again in the future.
KCR stated: Take the opportunity to expose the seven years delay caused by the Centre and its inactive role on the matter. Oppose and reject the attempts made to undermine the rights of Telangana people. Utilize the Apex Council meeting to tell the whole country about the facts.
He called attention to that under the State’s Bifurcation Acts, at whatever point a new State is formed, it should be assigned its water share.
He stated: The Telangana State was formed on June 2, 2014, and we wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on June 14, 2014, requesting for the allocation of water to the Telangana State. We also said that water could be allotted by constituting a Special tribunal under section (3) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956 or through the already existing Tribunal. We also wanted the allocation of water should be done between the Telangana State and AP or among the river basin states. Even after seven years, there was no reply to the letter written to the PM. The Centre kept mum on the issue. Moreover, they are giving a picture that they were doing something by convening Apex Council meetings. But in reality, the Centre is not doing anything.
The Apex Council meet has been delayed two times. It was last planned on August 25 yet was delayed as Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, examined positive for COVID-19.
The minister is the Chairman of Apex Council shaped under Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014. The chief ministers of the Telugu states are individuals from the Council.
The gathering expected significance taking into account the objections raised by Telangana over Andhra Pradesh proceeding with the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) across Krishna river. Telangana has been expressing that the project would negatively influence its interests.
Andhra Pradesh, then again, had brought up criticisms regarding six irrigation projects or plans, including the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, taken up by Telangana on the Godavari river.
KCR had before expressed that the state will be taking an intense stand over Andhra Pradesh’s issues with the activities across Krishna and Godavari rivers while looking for a stop to the RLIS.
He had requested that the officials take Andhra government for illegally using water from Godavari and Krishna streams in the contravention of the Bachawat Tribunal Award.
The Apex Council meeting was before planned on August 5 however was delayed on the appeal of the Telangana government.
