Krishna Tribunal verdict: Govt comes under fire from oppn

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday demanded that the state government take an-all party delegation to New Delhi to mount pressure on Centre and also file an appeal against the unjust verdict awarded by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal over the sharing of the waters from river Krishna.

The TDP’s demand came after a party meeting held at NTR Trust Bhavan to review the implications of the Tribunal's order on sharing of Krishna river waters.

Emerging out of the meeting, TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu said the party would intensify its fight to protect the state's interests, particularly farmers.

Mr Naidu said the Tribunal had accorded permission to Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam from 519 to 524 metres, and this would spell doom for farmers in Krishna delta and turn the area into a desert.

The former chief minister pointed out that the TDP regime had effectively checked Karnataka’s attempts to raise the height of Almatti dam during its tenure and lambasted the Congress for its failures to protect the state farmers’ interests.

At a separate press briefing, Praja Rajyam Party president K Chiranjeevi said the state had suffered a major loss due to the Tribunal’s verdict and blamed the TDP party for the crisis. He said the problem cropped up due to wrong policies adopted during the TDP tenure.

Bharatiya Janata Party state president Kishen Reddy demanded that the government convene an all-party meeting to discuss the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal verdict in detail. 

He said the verdict would jeoparadise the interests of farmers in Krishna Delta and derail the irrigation projects yet to be constructed on Krishna River.

Meanwhile, the state government on Friday expressed displeasure over the verdict on sharing of surplus water with neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Revenue Minister Raghuveera Reddy said the government would consult all irrigation experts, engineers and lawyers before taking any decision filing a petition on sharing of surplus waters.

Former minister JC Diwakar Reddy demanded the government file an appeal before tribunal seeking redressal of injustice.

Major Irrigation Minister P Sudarshan Reddy said the government would file an appeal before the tribunal in three months and seek clarifications.

Meanwhile, Krishna Delta Protection Committee, expressing serious concern over the verdict, urged the state government to appeal against the verdict.

The committee said the verdict would put a question mark on the second crop in the Krishna delta for the farmers.