Karnataka - Bellary   

`Andhra Pradesh using Krishna waters without clearance'

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELLARY, MARCH 31. H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP, who is on a private visit to Hospet, told presspersons here on Thursday that Andhra Pradesh has taken up several irrigation schemes using water from the Krishna basin without approval from the Central Water Commission.

He said that the riparian State has not obtained consent from the authorities concerned for using the river water. "Andhra Pradesh has not even sought clearance from the Planning Commission and the Environment Department for using the water," he said.

According to Mr. Ananth Kumar, the Andhra Pradesh Government is going ahead with its plans and using the water at a time when the tribunal constituted to allocate surplus waters in the Krishna is yet to arrive at a final allocation of water to the two States.

He said that around 15 projects, estimated at Rs. 12,933 crores, have been taken up by the Andhra Pradesh Government in the Krishna basin. Of these, clearance has been obtained from the Central Water Commission, Departments of Environment and Relief and Rehabilitation, and the Planning Commission only for Kurnool-Cuddappa canal.

In the Godavari basin, around 12 works have been taken up while clearance has been obtained only for a few projects, he said. "Karnataka has failed to discharge its duties and has not bothered to file a complaint with the Union Government against the injustice being meted out to it," he said.

He sought to know why the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, the Minister for Water Resources, M. Mallikarjun Kharge, and the Janata Dal President and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, are silent over the issue.

Mr. Ananth Kumar said that these developments have taken place in the past eight months and charged that there is a clandestine understanding between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre, and the Congress-led coalition Government in Karnataka and the Congress Government in Andhra Pradesh.

He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will take up the matter seriously and launch an agitation to fight against the completion of these projects in Andhra Pradesh. He said that his party will take a delegation to the Prime Minister and urge him to intervene in the matter and prevent Andhra Pradesh from going ahead with the projects.

The Sirguppa MLA, Somalingappa; the president of the district unit of BJP, Janardhan Reddy; Ramalingappa, Mrutyunjaya Jinaga, Thimma Reddy, Gurulinganagowda and other party leaders were present.

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`Andhra Pradesh using Krishna waters without clearance'

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