Date:04/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/04/stories/2008040460711200.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Congress urges Manmohan to intervene

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: S.M. Krishna, chairman of the Congress Election Management and Coordination Committee (EMCC), and the former State Congress president B. Janardhana Poojary on Thursday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene in the Hogenakkal issue and get Tamil Nadu to put the project on hold.

Briefing presspersons Mr. Krishna said Tamil Nadu had argued that it was a drinking water project, and Karnataka would not oppose it if that were true.

He pointed out that the State was contributing 5 tmcft from its share of Krishna waters to supply drinking water to Chennai under the Telugu Ganga scheme.

Mr. Krishna said that though the Union Government had issued a no-objection certificate to the Hogenakkal project, other formalities were yet to be completed. Also, the Supreme Court had taken a stricter approach to the manner in which such projects were cleared. Referring to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s denial that he had used “harsh language” while speaking about the project, Mr. Krishna said he welcomed the statement.

Such a gesture befits a person of Mr. Karunanidhi’s stature, who is a senior statesman of the country, he said.