CM incensed at approval for AP projects

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 23. The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, today charged the NDA Government at the Centre with approving three ``illegal'' irrigation projects being implemented by Andhra Pradesh in the Krishna Basin, violating Supreme Court directions and flouting all norms of cooperative federalism.

In his hardest ever attack on the NDA Government, the Chief Minister, at a press conference here, took serious objection to the approval given by the Union Water Resources Ministry to the Pulichintala, Srisailam Right Bank Canal and Bhima Lift Irrigation projects.

The approval was given on the basis of a letter from the Andhra Pradesh Government contending that the projects would utilise water saved by modernisation works in the Krishna delta. The approval was liable to be cancelled, he warned.

Mr. Krishna said Karnataka had been preparing to move the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh for taking up five irrigation projects. Now, the State would file a comprehensive petition, which would include the three new projects, when the court resumed after its vacation on July 9. The Union Government would be made a party in the petition.

The Chief Minister said he had told the Union Water Resources Minister, Mr. Arjun Sethi, that there was a limit to Karnataka's patience. The State could not tolerate it any longer. Mr. Krishna said he would lead an all-party delegation to meet the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, after the Parliament session began.

Wondering whether the Central Water Commission had looked into the details before approving the projects, Mr. Krishna said the Andhra Pradesh Government had hoodwinked the commission. How could the Kurnool-Cuddapah canal store 29 tmcft. of water which the Andhra Pradesh Government claimed to have saved? He said he could not understand how the Centre could ignore Andhra Pradesh's defiance of the apex court's directions.

The neighbouring State, he pointed out, was also continuing work on the unapproved Telugu Ganga and Srisailam Left Bank Canal projects. The infrastructure being created for the Telugu Ganga project could supply 300 tmcft. of water to irrigate 10 lakh hectares.

The Chief Minister said that the Supreme Court, while upholding Karnataka's argument on the Bachawat Award, had directed the lower riparian State not to take up large-scale projects at the cost of the upper riparian State.

Asked why the State had not filed a contempt petition against Andhra Pradesh, he said the Government was guided by its legal advisers.

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Section  : Southern States
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