Karnataka's protests may have little impact

By S.K. Ramoo

BANGALORE, JUNE 27. The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna's recent outburst against the NDA Government at the Centre for clearing Srisailam Left Bank, Pulichintala Diversion and Bhima Lift Irrigation projects under the Krishna Basin in Andhra Pradesh, is akin to locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.

The three irrigation projects were cleared by different governments at the Centre. The Krishna Government is ruing them belatedly. The previous governments seemed to have lost several opportunities to raise a din when the Centre accorded permission for their implementation without consulting Karnataka and Maharashtra, who have a stake in the utilisation of the Krishna waters.

Mr. Krishna, who has of late been adopting a ``strident posture'' came down heavily on the Vajpayee Government at a hurriedly convened press conference last week. He proclaimed that its ``blatantly partisan'' attitude was undermining the country's cooperative federal spirit. It should not have unduly favoured Andhra Pradesh for ``obvious, political reasons'', he said. Its action was against the interest of Karnataka.

Sanctioning three irrigation projects was, according to him, in violation of a Supreme Court order. He charged the Andhra Pradesh Government with ``misleading'' the Centre by claiming that the State would be utilising the water saved from other projects in the Krishna Basin.

He said Karnataka would move the Supreme Court and make both the Central and the Andhra Pradesh governments respondents. He even hinted at leading an all-party delegation to Delhi seeking the Prime Minister's intervention.

Incidentally, the Krishna Government has succeeded in preventing Andhra Pradesh from going ahead with the construction of two feeder canals aimed at diverting the flow of water from tanks located on the State's border in Tumkur district. It was, however, reported that the construction was halted following the Centre's intervention.

On an earlier occasion, Mr. Krishna had assailed the Vajpayee Government for extending financial support to Andhra Pradesh for a project to empower rural women and pointed out that it had not cared to assist a similar Karnataka project. The soft- spoken and urbane Mr. Krishna's rather harsh remarks surprised his senior ministerial colleagues and several State Congress leaders who have, however, welcomed his ``aggressive'' posture.

Successive State Governments had, in fact, adopted a consistent stand in opposing the Telugu Ganga, Srisailam Right and Left Bank Canals, Pulichintala Diversion and Bhima Lift Irrigation projects of Andhra Pradesh to utilise surplus Krishna waters under Scheme B of the Bachawat Award.

To the disappointment of Karnataka, although the Bachawat Tribunal allocated surplus water to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra under Scheme B, it did not render it ``enforceable'' by including it in its award. It merely stated that the surplus water under Scheme B could be shared among the three States, following a consensus, and suggested the intervention of Parliament, if required. To the dismay of Karnataka and Maharashtra, it recommended that till a consensus was reached, Andhra Pradesh could temporarily utilise the surplus water without acquiring any right over it.

Significantly, the Bachawat Tribunal did not actually favour the utilisation of surplus water by Andhra Pradesh through projects of a permanent nature. The apex court ruling that followed was both significant and relevant: ``It is appropriate for the Central Government to exercise discretion while granting any scheme or project of the lowest riparian State and bearing in mind what is really meant by the liberty granted, so that the lowest riparian State should not be allowed to proceed ahead with largescale water projects for the utilisation of surplus water in excess of the allocated quantity over which the State has no right. It is the Central Government which has to exercise this discretion while clearing projects of the lowest riparian State, and it should be so exercised that there should not be any apprehension in the minds of upper riparian States that for all times to come, their right of sharing the surplus water would in any manner be endangered.'' The Supreme Court ruled that if consensus could not be reached for sharing the surplus water, another commission could be appointed by the Centre.

The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, refuting Mr. Krishna's allegations, declared that the Centre had not shown any undue favour to his State while clearing the three projects. He accused the Congress leaders of lacking in national outlook as they did not truly comprehend the spirit of the country's federal structure.

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