Now, KRMB & GRMB to call the shots on irrigation projects

HYDERABAD: The Union Jal Shakti Ministry issued a Gazette notification in the wee hours of Friday, bringing all the irrigation projects in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, except the minor ones, under the control of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and Godavari River Management Board (GRMB). The Boards have been given full control over 36 and 71 projects in the Krishna and Godavari basins respectively. 

The Ministry’s decision is in congruence with demands of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana, however, had maintained that the projects should not be brought under the Boards’ control until it received a fair share in the river waters. The Gazette notification lists out the projects in three schedules — those under Schedule-1 and Schedule-2 will be controlled by the Boards, while the ones mentioned under Schedule-3 will be operated by the respective States, but the Boards will ordinarily have the jurisdiction. While the Boards will manage the projects, requisite funds must be provided by the States (`200 crore per State for each Board). 

The 36 projects in the Krishna basin and 71 in the Godavari basin were included in Schedule-1 of the notification. This means that both the river basins will be under the direct control of the Central government. Speaking to the media in Delhi on Friday, Union Jal Shakti Ministry Joint Secretary Sanjay Awasthi said, “We have issued the notification after seven years of discussions on the super sensitive issue.”  

Salient features of gazette notification

•  Notification will come into force from October 14, 2021

• 36 projects in Krishna basin and 71 projects in Godavari basin will come under KRMB and GRMB respectively

• The projects and its components (barrages, dams, reservoirs, regulating structures), canal network and transmission lines will be under the Boards’ control

•  CISF will assist the Boards in the management of projects 

• AP and TS will be responsible for the management of natural calamities; the Boards shall advise the two State governments in the event of disasters like floods

GRMB asks Telangana, AP to submit DPRs

Hyderabad: GRMB member PS Kutiyal asked both the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments to submit the detailed project reports (DPRs) of the new projects for the appraisal of the Board and Central Water Commission and the subsequent approval of the Apex Council