Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi has accused Telangana and Goa of trying to create new a controversy over the sharing of Krishna and Mahadayi waters and assured that the State government would not allow injustice to be meted out to Karnataka in this regard.
In a press release issued after a telephonic talk with Union Minister of Water Resources Gajendra Singh Shekhavat, Mr. Jarkiholi has said that the State government would present its arguments effectively before the Union government and the Supreme Court.
Mr. Jarkiholi has said that Telangana was trying to make an issue out of Krishna river water sharing on which the tribunal had already given its final verdict in 2013. “Already water share has been allocated to the States of Karnataka, Maharashtra and the earlier united Andhra Pradesh. The Union government too has decided to notify the verdict after the Supreme Court verdict. At this point, Telangana’s plea for setting up new water disputes tribunal is illogical,” he said.
The Minister has said in the release that he had discussed in detail the issue with the Mr. Shekhawat following a plea for new tribunal by Telengana. During the telephonic conversation, he had urged the Union Minister not to bring Karnataka in between the differences between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as already Krishna River Disputes Tribunal had given its final verdict in 2013.
Clear orders
As the water requirements of Telangana had already been considered as it was part of the united Andhra Pradesh, Telangana had to get its share from Andhra Pradesh and various SC orders too were clear in this regard. Considering these facts, the two States should sit together and sort out the differences in water sharing through dialogue. The demand for new tribunal was certainly not a justifiable one, Mr. Jarkiholi had told the Union Minister, the release said.
On Mahadayi
Regarding Mahadayi, Mr. Jarkiholi termed the contempt petition by Goa government ‘ludicrous’.
“Already, Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal has given its final verdict and the Centre too has notified the verdict. It is really funny that Goa government has now filed a contempt of court petition against the Karnataka government,” he has said in the release.
Terming the photographs and videos released by Goa government ‘fabricated documents’, Mr. Jarkiholi said the Karnataka government would face the charges effectively in the SC. He said he had received a factual report on the ground situation from the committee comprising of senior officials of Water Resources Department from both the States.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa too has written a letter to the Union Water Resources Minister urging him to facilitate utilisation of the allotted share of water to Karnataka, the Minister said.