The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has notified the Godavari and the Krishna river management boards, giving them more power to administer, regulate, operate and maintain projects listed on these two rivers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
"The decision of the Union government for notifying the jurisdiction of two boards would go a long way in enabling the river boards to discharge their responsibilities to the fullest as mandated in the APRA (Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act) 2014 and ring about the much-needed neutrality on water resources matters between the two states," the ministry said.
The Ministry, expecting the notification issued on July 15, will reduce the friction in the area of water management between the two states, the Ministry said.
The APRA contains provisions for the effective management of river water in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The Act also has provisions for the constitution of the Godavari and the Krishna River Management Boards and an Apex Council to supervise the functioning of these boards.
The Centre constituted the two river management boards on June 2, 2014 for administration, regulation, maintenance and operation of such projects on the Godavari and the Krishna rivers. But there were differences between the two states on the issue of notification of the boards by the Centre.
However, the issue was resolved in the Apex Council, headed by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat along with the chief ministers of the two states, held in October 2020.
In this meeting, it was decided that the jurisdiction of the GRMB (Godavari River Management Board) and the KRMB (Krishna River Management Board) will be notified by the Centre. Accordingly, the Centre has issued two notifications — one for the GRMB, another for the KRMB — to oversee the projects in the rivers.
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