The Hindu : Cong. sees grave threat from Karnataka projects

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 15, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Cong. sees grave threat from Karnataka projects

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR JULY 14. The District Congress Committee (DCC) has asked the State Government to act upon the irrigation projects and lift-irrigation schemes taken up by Karnataka illegally in the Krishna basin and the Tungabhadra sub-basin immediately so that the relative loss to the State is minimised.

After a recent visit to several such illegal projects and lift-irrigation schemes by a team comprising the DCC president, A. Venkatarami Reddy, the legislators -- B. Narayana Reddy, P. Venugopal Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy -- and the Municipal Chairperson of Anantapur, K. Noor Mohammed, the DCC reported the team's findings to the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, through a letter.

Giving details to newspersons here on Monday, the DCC president said that Karnataka was preventing the flows of inter-state rivers and rivulets into Andhra Pradesh by taking up several illegal projects on a war-footing. It had also completed a large number of lift-irrigation schemes and innumerable siphons besides on the Tungabhadra river and its tributaries.

On their completion the illegal projects of Karnataka would badly hit the inflows into Tungabhadra Dam and parch the lands under LLC, HLC, K-C Canal and RDS in Kurnool, Anantapur, Cuddapah and Mahabubnagar districts. Besides, the illegal tapping would spell doom to the proposed Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari and Tungabhadra Flood Flow Canal projects, the DCC president said.

The Congress team had visited Shimoga, Chitradurg, Haveri, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal and Bellary districts for three days. The Upper Tunga project was taken to the notice of the Government in 1997 itself after a similar visit but the Government had failed to respond. About 90 per cent of the project works were completed and it was proposed to release water to the ayacut from next year.

Mr. Venkatarami Reddy said that Karnataka was planning to utilise 40 tmcft of Tunga water to the UTP. Initial ayacut planned was 2.9 lakh acres and it would be extended to four lakh acres later, he said.

Himmagi project was also under construction. Karnataka had planned to irrigate 1.67 lakh acres under the project in Gadag and Koppal districts by utilising 18.55 tmcft water. Besides, the Karnataka Government had itself informed the Tungabhadra Board about 35 lift-irrigation schemes functioning in the upper reaches of Tungabhadra.

The DCC president alleged that the helpless situation at present had arrived due to the State Government negligence on the inter-state water resources. The only way to prevent loss to Andhra Pradesh was to fight hard to cancel the clearances given to the projects, he suggested the State Government. The TDP should withdraw support to the NDA Government, if necessary, he said.

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