Ap Objects To Patels Remarks On Almatti

Andhra Pradesh yesterday took serious objection to Karnataka Chief Minister J H Patels reported remarks that recommendations of expert committee on the contentious Almatti dam were not binding on his government and that construction work would go on unhindered.

Such remarks smack of his irresponsibility. We condemn this, the state major irrigation minister, T Nageshwara Rao, told reporters here.

Nageshwara Rao said it was the responsibility of the Union government to ensure implementation of the committees recommendations in toto. It was unfortunate that Karnataka was now backtracking after having agreed to the constitution of technical experts committee following initiative taken at the highest political level, the minister said.

The seven-member committee, constituted by the front chief ministers panel to look into mutual charges of violations of the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal (KWDT) award, would submit its report in a couple of days, he said.

The raging dispute between the two neighbouring states over the oversized dam in Bijapur district of Karnataka took a new turn with Patel asserting at a press conference in Delhi yesterday that the committees recommendations were not mandatory since it lacked official status.

Nageshwara Rao alleged that Karnataka was consistently violating the Bachawat award on sharing of Krishna waters and going ahead with the issue of increasing the dams height to 1,720 ft as against the permissible height of 1,680 ft, disregarding objections from the lower riparian state.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the state CPM unit, K Satyanarayana condemned provocative statements of Karnataka Chief Minister, Patel and said such an approach would foment regional belligerance.

The CPM leader called for the intervention of Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda to prevent patel from inciting parochial passions which would jeopardise reconciliatory efforts now underway.

Patels remarks that construction would go on irrespective of committees findings were tantamount to giving handle to parochial elements, particularly when the atmosphere was surcharged on either side, he said.

Several irrigation experts had already warned that interests of farmers in Andhra Pradesh would be adversely affected if the dams height was increased, Satyanarayana said.