Telangana deputy CM: We want nothing but our rightful share of Krishna waters

HYDERABAD: Seeking financial assistance from the Centre to revive and complete the Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation schemes, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka additionally called on the Union administration to settle the long-pending bifurcation matters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Key points

• Vikramarka recalled that a number of matters between Telangana and AP remained pending even 12 years after the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA-2014) came into force.
• Vikramarka additionally proposed Hyderabad as the venue for the 32nd Southern Zonal Council gathering.
• The division of assets of Schedule-10 institutions additionally remains another point of contention.
• One such matter reservations the division of 23 Schedule-9 institutions, he stated.
• For PRLIS, he sought Central assistance to complete the remaining works and create the project fully operational.

Vikramarka, who attended the 31st Southern Zonal Council session chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, stated that Telangana was pursuing the rehabilitation of the Kaleshwaram barrages and taking steps to revive the Pranahita-Chevella project at Tummidihatti. For PRLIS, he sought Central assistance to complete the remaining works and create the project fully operational.

Asserting that Telangana was not seeking any special privilege but only its fair share of Krishna waters through established legal mechanisms, he sought protection against unilateral actions that could affect the rights of states downstream and stressed that established adjudicatory mechanisms should be respected, with the same principles applied to all riparian states. He reiterated Telangana's lower-riparian rights over surplus waters. Schedule-9 problems should be settled within statutory framework: Bhatti.

Vikramarka recalled that a number of matters between Telangana and AP remained pending even 12 years after the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA-2014) came into force. He stressed that settling them should not mean "endless correspondence or fresh interpretations every few years".

One such matter reservations the division of 23 Schedule-9 institutions, he stated. Calling for an early settlement within the statutory framework, Vikramarka remarked, "Telangana has already submitted its views concerning 23 Schedule-9 institutions to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Telangana expressed its willingness to settle the matter in accordance with the APRA-2014 and based on the approach suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Home Minister."

He continued that the state administration believed an early settlement was desirable, but must remain within the statutory framework.

Notably, the division of assets of Schedule-10 institutions additionally remains another point of contention. While Telangana maintained that such claims were not backed by the APRA, except for the continuation of facilities under Section 75, vikramarka remarked Andhra Pradesh had sought division of assets of certain institutions.

In practice, the matter is additionally pending before the AP High Court, he stated, adding that Telangana wanted it settled through the legal process and in accordance with the Act.

Taken together, the developments around telangana deputy CM: We want nothing but our rightful share of Krishna point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.