AP to move Supreme Court against Jal Shakti Ministry’s decision on Krishna water

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to move the Supreme Court against the decision of the Union Government specifying the terms of reference (TOR) for adjudication by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II.

Minister for Water Resources, Ambati Rambabu, addressing media, termed the decision illegal. “Section 89 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act has already dictated the Terms of Reference to the Brijesh Kumar tribunal, Centre cannot announce another set of TORs,” he said.

The Minister said that the gazette publication came despite the repeated requests of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to the Centre against the move. “We have decided to immediately move a lunch motion petition in the Apex Court against the new Terms of Reference,” he said.

Assuring the farmers that the State Government would fight tooth and nail to protect their interests, he said that the Government would demand a rightful share of 512 TMC of Krishna water as per the award of the Bachawat tribunal.

“The tribunal gave 811 TMC of water to erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 1976. The Central Government at the time of division of the State allocated 512 TMC to AP and 299 TMC to Telangana. Now the new decision if implemented will be detrimental to the State of AP, “ he pointed out.

The Irrigation Minister said that Andhra Pradesh justifiably utilised its share even from the days of the late NT Rama Rao. “While allowing the sibling State of Telangana to enjoy its rightful share of Krishna water, we will not forgo even a single drop of our share to anyone,” he said condemning the news items in certain media blaming the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy Government for the present state of affairs.