Jagan Delhi bound to protest against Krishna Tribunal verdict

Former Kadapa Mp Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Sunday left for New Delhi in a special train to stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar on January 11 in protest against Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal verdict.

The former MP left in a special train along with 1,500 farmers and his supporters to stage a day-long dharna (Jal Deeksha) at the Jantar Mantar. The dharna is an attempt to highlight the adverse impact of the Tribunal’s verdict and to call on the Centre to protect the interests of farmers of the Krishna Delta.

The Tribunal’s verdict has been met with stiff opposition by leaders across the political spectrum since it seen as going against the interests of Andhra Pradesh, even though the state was given the largest share of surplus waters of the river.

In New Delhi, the MP would highlight the state’s concerns over the injustice meted out in the sharing of Krishna waters to Centre, particularly the permission given to Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti Dam from the present 519 metre to 524 metre.

Meanwhile, more than 20 former Corporators and leaders from Pedda Dargah in Kadapa also left for New Delhi to express solidarity to Mr Jaganmohan Reddy’s Jal Deeksha.

Pradesh Congress Committee suspended general secretary  and staunch Jagan loyalist, Ambati Rambabu said that the event was not a show of strength and it was aimed at voicing the State's concerns over the ‘injustice' meted out in the distribution of Krishna water.

The verdict delivered by the Justice Brijesh Kumar-headed Tribunal will affect the fate of major irrigation projects in the state which were launched as part of the ‘Jalayagnam’ Irrigation project at a cost of more than Rs 50,000 crore.

According to 2,000 page verdict, the state will get 1,001 Thousand Million Cubic feet (TMC), while Karnataka and Maharashtra will have to be satisfied with 911 TMC and 666 TMC of the waters from river Krishna as per the verdict of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal which was delivered on Thursday. 

The tribunal verdict can be reviewed only after May 2050.