TDP tells Prez to scrap Krishna Tribunal order

Terming the latest verdict of the Krishna Waters Dispute Tribunal as a death blow to Andhra Pradesh, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) delegation led by party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday urged President Pranab Mukherjee to direct the Centre to scrap the award. 

Naidu, the Leader of the Opposition in Andhra Pradesh, met Mukherjee here and presented him a memorandum in this regard.

Demanding nullification of the order, the delegation urged the government to constitute a new tribunal to provide justice to Andhra Pradesh.

The Krishna Tribunal-II, headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar, was constituted to resolve the water-sharing dispute between Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. It upheld its award of 2010, including raising the height of the Almatti dam to 524.256 m.

“Though the tribunal has no authority to increase the height of Almatti (dam), it has allowed Karnataka to increase it to 524 (metres). If this happens, Andhra Pradesh will not get any water to generate electricity,” Naidu told reporters here after meeting the President.

He raised apprehensions that Karnataka might use all the water during rainy season, beyond the allocated level. “They (Karnataka) may release only the surplus water to Andhra Pradesh. The allocated 1,001 TMC of water may not come,” added Naidu.
The TDP leader alleged that the tribunal's award has violated natural justice and inter-state river principles.

“The verdict is a death blow for Andhra Pradesh,” he said, claiming that in 14 districts in the state and 35 lakh acres of land would be affected by the lack of for drinking or irrigation water.