Chief Minister orders strong arguments in Supreme Court regarding Krishna river water dispute

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed officials to ensure an effective representation in the Supreme Court to secure the state's fair share in the Krishna river water dispute. He has instructed that all necessary evidence regarding issues with Andhra Pradesh be presented in this dispute.

This case is likely to come up for hearing in the Supreme Court after 18 November. In this regard, the Chief Minister held a review meeting with legal experts and senior irrigation officials regarding the state's arguments. The Chief Minister emphasised the need for a strong legal approach in the Krishna water sharing dispute and asked officials to ensure that all relevant material and evidence are presented before the court.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister directed engineers to expedite the work on the Dindi and Achampet lift irrigation schemes. He reiterated that water for both these projects should be supplied from Edula as previously decided. He instructed officials to ensure that the required 0.6 TMC of water is released from Narlapur to Edula without any hindrance. Engineers were also asked to identify areas where tunnels and canals would be required and ordered to prepare a comprehensive Detailed Project Report (DPR).

The Chief Minister warned officials against taking hasty decisions regarding the proposed additional 1 TMC of works under the Kaleshwaram project. He told officials to ensure that mistakes made by the previous government are not repeated. Pointing out that difficulties are being faced even in delivering the current 2 TMC of water in the existing system, he said that the additional TMC works should be undertaken only after a complete investigation of all technical and administrative aspects.

The Chief Minister directed officials to first review the progress of pending Kaleshwaram-related cases in the Supreme Court and to undertake the land acquisition process only after examining the legal position. He also emphasised the need to obtain all necessary clearances from the Central Water Commission. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court C.S. Vaidyanathan, and senior irrigation officials were present at the meeting.