A joint meeting held under the auspices of Rythu Seva Sanstha, Andhra Pradesh Comprehensive Development Study Forum, and Rayalaseema Irrigation Sadhana Samithi on Monday in Vijayawada, has appealed to the AP government to protect the state rights over Krishna river waters.
At the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal’s hearing to be held on February 19-21, it asked the state government to present effective arguments before the tribunal. It made it clear that the Godavari-Banakacherla interlinking scheme should be abandoned and the Godavari-Krishna- Penna river interlinking (Polavaram-Somasila) scheme should be taken up.
Moreover, it urged that the Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari, Veligonda and Telugu Ganga projects, which have been under construction for the past three and a half centuries and are dependent on Krishna waters, should be allocated Rs. 10,000 crore in the annual budget for 2025-26 and the construction should be completed on a war footing, GNSS – HNSS.
Appealing to the state government to withdraw the linkage scheme and recommend to the central government to shift the Krishna Management Board office from Hyderabad to Kurnool as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act-2014, the meeting adopted four resolutions moved by irrigation expert T. Lakshmi Narayana. It was presided over by Akkineni Bhavani Prasad.
Former State Agriculture Minister Vadde Shobhanadriswara Rao, CPI State General Secretary K. Ramakrishna, Rayalaseema Irrigation Sadhana Samiti President Bojja Dasarathara Reddy, AP Rythu Sangam Senior Leader Y. Kesava Rao, AP Rythu Sangham President G. Eswaraiah CPI(M) State Leader Krishnaiah, OPDR leaders Srinivasulu,and others spoke.
The resolution stated that while there were judgments of the Bachavat Tribunal and Brajesh Kumar Tribunal, the Central Government, although the dispute raised by the Telangana State Government was irrelevant, extended the deadline of the Brajesh Kumar Tribunal and ordered it to be heard. This is very commendable.
After the Brajesh Kumar Tribunal gave a judgment by assessing 65% and 55% of the standard available water, i.e. the surplus water, and distributing it among the states in the Krishna river basin, the united Andhra Pradesh government filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. The case is under hearing. The Brajesh Kumar Tribunal judgment was stayed.
Consequently, it deplored that the Central Government did not issue that judgment on notice. It did not come into effect. It accused that the Central Government has acted extremely irresponsibly in this regard. It demanded that the Andhra Pradesh Government should either block the Brajesh Kumar Tribunal hearing through the Supreme Court or, by effectively presenting its arguments before the Tribunal through competent lawyers, protect Andhra Pradesh’s rights over Krishna waters.