'Cooperate in better utilisation of Krishna river water'

The slanging match between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over utilisation of Krishna river water and generation of power intensified today with the latter saying that the rogue state behaviour of Telangana should not be encouraged.

The Andhra Pradesh government also asked its new neighbour to stop its political game and co-operate in better utilisation of Krishna river water to protect the interests of farmers in both the states. The Chandrababu Naidu government said it wanted the Telangana government to abide by the AP Reorganisation Act and also relevant government orders (GOs) on maintaining minimum water level at Srisailam reservoir to meet irrigation and drinking water requirements in the two states.

The ongoing dispute between the two states will come up for hearing before the Krishna River Management Board at a meeting here on October 29 though the AP government has already presented its case to Governor E S L Narasimhan as also to the Board.

Dubbing the claims of Telangana government over utilisation of Krishna river water and generation of power as welter of lies, AP Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and Communications Advisor Parakala Prabhakar dared the former to file a case against AP government in Supreme Court on the issue. Already the Telangana government has been rapped by the Supreme Court in several cases in the last four months. Does it want to get rapped again, they asked. Rebutting the claims of Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao over utilisation of Krishna water and generation of power, Parakala said, The Telangana ministers have started a daily serial of blatant lies.

One minister is not repeating the lies blurted out by the other. Moreover, each one is coming up with contradictory lies, day after day. Mocking at Harish's claim that GO No 233 (in December 2005) was issued superseding GO 107 (in September 2004), Parakala sarcastically said that Harish could not even differentiate between 107 and 170. GO 233 has no connection whatsoever with GOs 69 and 107 that regulate use of water at Srisailam reservoir. Which GOs, and in which language, is Harish reading, the Communications Advisor said. Referring to the Telangana Irrigation Minister's allegation that AP was utilising 60 tmc ft of water as against the allotted 34 tmc ft, Parakala clarified that AP was eligible to draw 113 tmc ft, including assured and surplus water from Srisailam. We are entitled to draw 113 tmc ft but drawing only 60 tmc ft now.

On the other hand, Telangana has been utilising over 72 tmc ft though it is entitled to 171.25 tmc ft. Who is preventing it from drawing water as per its entitlement? It's only their inefficiency, Parakala said. Referring to power, Parakala said that while AP generated 5710 million units of thermal power, only 4941 mu (million units) was used by the state and 769 mu was supplied to Telangana. AP generated 1621 mu of hydro power and Telangana 2226 mu. AP Discoms had drawn only 42 per cent of the total hydro power as against their entitlement for 46 per cent. Though 234 MW of power was generated at Upper Jurala hydro project, not a single unit was transferred to AP.

Why is the Telangana government not speaking about it, he questionned. Even from the central grid, AP was getting 183 million units less power, he added. While AP government purchased 900 MW of power from external sources with a long-term perspective, Telangana was making do with minuscule purchases from power exchanges on a daily basis. Admit your mistakes, otherwise we will not leave till you come out with the truth, Parakala said. Training his guns on Telangana government, Umamaheswara Rao questioned what explanation would Telangana government give to farmers of Nalgonda and Khammam districts, besides people of Hyderabad city, if it could not ensure water supply because of depletion at Srisailam. The Telangana government should react immediately in view of the grave situation. It should end the mean talk and honour the law to protect the interests of farmers, he said.