Krishna River Board directs Andhra govt to stop Rayalaseema project works

: The Krishna River

Management Board has directed the Andhra Pradesh government not to proceed ahead with the tender process for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) till it was appraised by the Board and the Central Water Commission and also sanctioned by the Apex Council.

The detailed project report of RLIS has not been submitted to the KRMB and CWC for appraisal and, as such, the state government cannot go ahead with the project, Board member Harikesh Meena told Special Chief Secretary (Water Resources) in a letter.

The AP government on July 27 invited bids for building the RLIS under Engineering, Procurement and Construction mode at a cost of Rs 3,278 crore. As per the tender notification, the scheme is to be completed within 30 months.

The scheme is intended to draw 34,722 cusecs of water daily from Srisailam reservoir when the water level reaches 800 feet.

The Telangana government lodged a complaint with the KRMB in May against the proposed RLIS saying it was proposed in violation of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, as it did not have requisite clearance or approval from the KRMB, CWC or the Apex Council, headed by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti.

The AP government too filed a counter complaint saying Telangana too was going ahead with certain new projects on river Krishna in violation of the Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Accordingly, the KRMB directed the Telangana government in May not to go ahead with the proposed projects.

Against this backdrop, the AP government invited bids for execution of the RLIS, prompting a fresh directive from the KRMB.

The Board made it clear that for any new projects, a DPR should be submitted to the CWC and permission should be taken from the Apex Committee.

"The actions taken by the AP government which are in violation of this procedure will be viewed as violation of the Act, the KRMB amply clarified," an official release from the Telangana government said.

The AP governments initiative kicked up a political storm recently in Telangana with opposition parties blaming the K-Chandrashekhar Rao government for not being able to stop the neighbouring state's move.