Hyderabad: The apex court on Wednesday permitted Telangana to withdraw its writ petition on Krishna water sharing issue with the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh.
Officials concerned stated that the ball was now in the Centre’s court referring to the Union Jal shakti ministry. The government of Telangana withdrew the case after an assurance from the Union Jal shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who promised to look into the matter.
“It is a good beginning towards addressing the Krishna river water sharing issues. The Jal Shakti ministry can refer the matter to the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT)-II to finalize water sharing between the two Telugu states” stated Telangana special chief secretary (irrigation) Rajat Kumar.
It is to be noted that, Maharashtra and Karnataka while opposing Telangana’s withdrawal of the case, urged the SC to hear their arguments, which was accepted by the court on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, AP was opposing the withdrawal of our petition,” Rajat Kumar added
Having filed the case in 2015 for redistribution of water under the Inter-state River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act of 1956, the Telangana government is of the view that the Krishna Water should be divided between the two states as per section 3 of the ISRWD Act. It has put forth a demand for a new tribunal to be constituted to resolve the issue, The Times of India reported