The Hindu : Karnataka to consider A.P.'s plea for water

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Karnataka to consider A.P.'s plea for water

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE DEC. 17. Karnataka is considering the request of the Andhra Pradesh Government for release of water from the Alamatti Dam for drinking purpose. The quantity of water to be released will be decided by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, on the basis of the availability of water and Karnataka's requirements. Andhra Pradesh has sought 37 tmcft. of water from the dam, and it will provide power in return.

Making the announcement to presspersons after a prolonged meeting with a seven-member delegation from Andhra Pradesh led by its Minister for Major Irrigation, K. Srihari, the Minister for Water Resources, H.K. Patil, said he would brief Mr. Krishna at the earliest, and a decision would be taken soon.

Mr. Srihari said the delegation had come to Bangalore after the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, had spoken to Mr. Krishna seeking release of water. Mr. Srihari said Mahboobnagar, Nalgonda, Prakasham, Khammam, and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh were seriously affected, as the availability of water from the Krishna Basin this year was one-tenth of the annual availability of 900 tmcft. Andhra Pradesh had lost the kharif crop and was now focusing only on solving the drinking water shortage in these districts.

The meeting, according to the Ministers, was path breaking, as an initiative was made to resolve long-pending issues through continuous dialogue. Mr. Patil said that after the 1984-85 meeting between the then Chief Ministers, Ramakrishna Hegde and N.T. Rama Rao, today's meeting was the next to be held at such a high level.

He said that a joint committee had been formed to sort out the land acquisition and rehabilitation issues of the Jurala project near Raichur district, and the report was expected before February 28, 2003. Both the Governments had agreed to rehabilitate the displaced families, he added.

Mr. Patil said Karnataka was thinking of providing a rehabilitation package similar to the one for the Upper Krishna Project. Andhra Pradesh, he added, had agreed to remit Rs. 15 crores to Karnataka as compensation for land.

On the Singur project, Mr. Patil said Andhra Pradesh had agreed to pay Rs. 1.39 crores as additional compensation for land. It had expressed reservations on the revised claim made by Karnataka on the two bridges on Manjira river, he added. Karnataka has 50 per cent share in the Singur project, and 7.5 MW of power is to be made available to the State.

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