Krishna creates ripples

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, MAY. 18. The Krishna waters issue today created ripples in the Assembly once again.

While the main Opposition TMC, described the Krishna water scheme a ``mystery'', the AIADMK group leader, Mr. P.R. Sundaram demanded the removal of the PWD Minister, Mr. Durai Murugan for the ``failure'' of the scheme.

Initiating the discussion on the Krishna water project, Mr.S.Alagiri (TMC) charged that the PWD Minister had failed to furnish the ``truth'' which had given rise to suspicion over whether the much-touted Krishna water was reaching Chennai at all.

Though the project had provided for an annual supply of 12 tmcft of water from Andhra Pradesh, the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh was slushy and it remained a mystery as to how Chennai would get Krishna water. The government should take a legislative committee for an inspection along the entire Krishna water canal route to clear the air, he urged.

Echoing the TMC demand, the CPI member, Mr.R. Subbarayan said the Minister should disclose the amount spent by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh towards the project, the stretches where canals had not been dug and the present storage in Kandaleru reservoir, from where the water was being discharged into the Krishna prject canal for Chennai.

When the first phase of the Krishna canal prject had not been finished, how could the government claim that the Krishna water had reached Chennai, Mr. Sundaram of the AIADMK asked.

Replying, the PWD Minister, Mr. Durai Murugan said the Opposition and a section of the media was flinging charges without comprehending the project ``nitty gritties''. Though a canal had not been dug on a 13 km stretch between Srisailam and Somasila reservoirs in Andhra Pradesh, the Krishna water was reaching the Kandaleru reservor via Nippulavaghu stream and Pennar river, he asserted.

Giving details of the Krishna flow to Chennai in the past four years, he said in 1996, Andhra Pradesh released 11.473 tmcft of water to Nippulavaghu stream, of which 1.674 tmcft of water reached Somasila reservoir, from where about 0.076 tmcft of water was let into Poondi reservoir for Chennai.

In 1997, 18.90 tmcft. of Krishna water had been let out from Srisailam dam into the Nippulavaghu stream of which 2.869 tmcft flowed into Chennai. In 1998, the City received 2.868 tmcft from the 19.63 tmcft released from Srisailam to the Nippulavaghu stream, the Minister said. In all, till early January last year, the City had received 7.08 tmcft. of Krishna water, he said. ``The water received at Poondi from Andhra Pradesh is only Krishna water,'' he asserted.

The Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Secretary had in four fax letters to the Tamil Nadu PWD Secretary had confirmed that the water released from Kandaleru to Poondi reservoir was indeed Krishna water. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu too had denied the State's former Chief Minister, Mr. Vijayabhaskara Reddy's charge that Pennar water was being diverted to Tamil Nadu on the pretext of Krishna water project.

A World Bank team which had inspected the entire course of the Krishna water canal had certified that the supply of Krishna water to Chennai via Nippulavaghu stream and Pennar river was ``feasible and sustainable'', the Minister pointed out.

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Section  : Southern States
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