KRMB, GRMB are paper tigers: Telangana

HYDERABAD: Even as disputes over Krishna river waters have inflamed passions in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the river management boards — KRMB (Krishna River Management Board) and GRMB (Godavari River Management Board) — have remained mute spectators. At the most, they have been carrying out a ‘postman job’, as they have no penal powers they can enforce to regulate water supply.

While the Boards have repeatedly asked the Jal Shakti Ministry to define their powers and decide jurisdiction over projects, the Centre has not acted on the same for the past seven years. As a result, the two Boards have remained advisory panels and are functioning ineffectively, as they could not act upon the complaints, violations or disputes between the two States, which is further aggravating problems.

On every crucial matter, the Boards are looking towards the Ministry of Jal Shakti for a solution. In the latest instance, when AP failed to cooperate with the KRMB to facilitate their visit to the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project (RLIP), the Board approached the Jal Shakti Ministry for security. The Boards, especially the KRMB, have faced severe criticism from Telangana officials for favouring AP.

No action in spite of NGT directive

Even after the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directive, the KRMB failed to prevail upon the AP government, which is going ahead with the construction of RLIP. The NGT directed KRMB to submit a report on the status of RLIP works. Let alone submit a report, the KRMB did not even send a team to AP and instead, only appears to be buying time. Meanwhile, Telangana officials are eagerly waiting to know the contents of the report. They pointed out that the KRMB failed to stop AP from calling tenders for RLIP, though the project involved transferring water out of the Krishna river basin.