Telangana CM Revanth Tells Officials to Get Ready for 2nd Krishna Water Hearing
"Telangana has no option but to rely on Krishna river for irrigation and drinking water for the undivided Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda district areas and the tribunal must be apprised of this,” the Chief Minister told the meeting attended by Uttam Kumar Reddy, Supreme Court senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan, and top irrigation department officials.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday directed irrigation department officials to ensure that all required information and data was available with the state’s counsel so that the Telangana government could make effective and conclusive arguments on its legitimate share of Krishna river water at the upcoming Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II hearings in Delhi.
Making it clear that the government would not allow even a single drop of the state’s share of the river’s water go to anyone else, Revanth Reddy said the aim should be to get all 904 tmc ft of Krishna water for Telangana. The Chief Minister was speaking during a review meeting on preparations by the state to present its case before KWDT-II in Delhi in the hearings scheduled from September 23 to 25. Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy will also be at the hearings, he added.
“Our arguments should be effective and such that all the past injustices we suffered in the river water sharing come to an end,” Revanth Reddy said and called on the legal experts representing Telangana before the tribunal to submit all relevant evidence making the state’s case.
When the discussion turned to how the previous government did grievous injustice to Telangana by agreeing to take 299 tmc ft of water from Krishna and allowing AP to get 512 tmc ft — with AP highlighting this aspect before the tribunal — Revanth Reddy also recalled how Telangana region was neglected even in undivided AP. He said the presentations to the tribunal must include all the projects that have been conceived on the Krishna river, those in various stages of completion, and all the relevant documentation to convince the tribunal of Telangana’s rightful rights on Krishna river water share.
“Telangana after its formation, should have rightfully received a share of 904 tmc ft of water from Krishna, and our arguments should be aimed at achieving this goal. The previous government was lackadaisical in its approach, enabling AP to take whatever it wanted from Krishna and this aspect too must be stressed upon,” Revanth Reddy said.
"Telangana has no option but to rely on Krishna river for irrigation and drinking water for the undivided Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy, Nalgonda district areas and the tribunal must be apprised of this,” the Chief Minister told the meeting attended by Uttam Kumar Reddy, Supreme Court senior counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan, and top irrigation department officials.
Earlier, in the day, Uttam Kumar Reddy who chaired a preparatory meeting on KWDT-II hearings, said that the coming round could be the last and that Telangana had filed credible and updated data to justify its enhanced requirements.
“Our government has taken an in-principle decision to create additional capacities and use the maximum possible water. We are determined not to miss this opportunity. The Tribunal has acknowledged the injustices done to Telangana. We must continue to pursue our case with firmness and ensure that our rightful share is secured once and for all,” he said.
