The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Pranahita: State to seek Maharashtra’s nod

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Thursday, Nov 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Pranahita: State to seek Maharashtra’s nod

M. Malleswara Rao

Brisk paper work on to get Central Water Commission’s nod

-PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

Jalayagnam: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at the stone laying ceremony of Chevella-Pranahita scheme in Ranga Reddy district on Wednesday.

HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the strained relations between the two States over the Babli project, Andhra Pradesh will soon approach Maharashtra for its consent for executing the Rs. 38,500-crore Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project.

The barrage proposed to be built across the Pranahita, a bountiful tributary of the Godavari with a vast catchment area in the neighbouring State, will occupy a part of Maharashtra’s territory that starts from the middle of the river. The Pranahita serves as a boundary between the two States. The project will use 160 tmcft water from the river.

“We will soon furnish papers to the Maharashtra government for its nod. Brisk paper work is also on to get all the clearances from the Central Water Commission,” a senior Irrigation Department official said. The government has gone ahead with preliminary work on the Pranahita-Chevella project with the assumption that the Maharashtra government’s approval is “ a foregone conclusion,” for two reasons: firstly, the survey and water availability assessment for the project has been made by WAPCOS , a Central government undertaking. Secondly, there is a clear provision for this project not only in the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award (GWDTA) of 1978 but also in the inter-State agreement of 1975 duly signed by the two States.

The relevant portion in the GWDTA states: “Both AP and Maharashtra agree to have barrage/barrages across the Pranahita at suitable sites for the benefit of both or one State.”

However, any project will have to be taken up only after reaching a separate agreement. Water utilisation by the two States under such a project is also subject to their respective allocations under GWDTA. Andhra Pradesh has so far utilised 700 tmcft from out of 1,484 tmcft allocated by the Tribunal.

Meanwhile, the batch of engineers who conceived the Pranahita-Chevella project remained an unhappy lot for not being invited for the foundation-stone laying ceremony by Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at Chevella.

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