Andhra to counter Karnataka's plea before June 30

The state government will file a counter to the Karnataka's recent plea against construction of irrigation projects in Krishna basin by the lower riparian state before the newly constituted Krishna Water Tribunal before June 30, 2005.

Stating this after an hour long review meeting held by chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy with senior officials and irrigation engineers on inter-state disputes pertaining to Krishna and Godavari river waters, irrigation minister Ponnala Laxmaiah said that the Karnataka government's interlocutory application to the Tribunal is based on the same prayer which was rejected by the courts and the Government of India on four occasions in the past.

"In fact, the same state has violated the Tribunal order on the rights of Andhra on surplus waters by constructing projects based on surplus water," the minister observed.

Meanwhile, the minister said that his government would do everything possible to stall the irrigation project being constructed by the Maharashtra government as it summarily violates the 1975 agreement on the height of Pochampad project in Andhra.

According to him, the proposed Babli project will cut into the submergence area of the backwaters of Pochampad and would at least cause a loss of 1 tmc of water to the Andhra Project.