Harish credits BK Tribunal order to KCR govt’s efforts

Hyderabad: BRS senior leader T Harish Rao on Friday said that the interim orders by the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal were the victory of the previous KCR government, which had been insisting on the allocation based on Section 3 of the Inter State Water Disputes Act 1956 since the beginning.

The BRS leader welcomed the interim order by the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal. Harish Rao said that KCR’s decade-long efforts in securing justice for Telangana’s water rights against Central injustices yielded results. He criticised the Congress government for attempting to claim these achievements as their own, noting that it was the Congress-led Central government that initially introduced the problematic Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, Section 89.

The interim orders from the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal have affirmed the rights of Telangana to a fair allocation of Krishna River waters, consistent with the long-standing stance advocated by KCR that allocations should be State-based rather than project-based. According to Harish Rao, this outcome is a testament to the tenacious struggle and strategic planning executed during KCR’s tenure to rectify the injustices done by the Congress party.

Highlighting the legal battles fought, Rao mentioned that the Telangana government had gone to the Supreme Court in 2015 to ensure Telangana’s rights in Krishna waters and continued to press for an allocation of 575 TMC of water until the Tribunal’s verdict. The Terms of Reference (TOR) given by the Central government to the tribunal in October 2023 under Section 3 were a pivotal development in addressing the State’s water distribution issues. The outcome of these persistent demands was further reinforced in the Apex Council meetings held in October 2020, under KCR’s insistence.

Rao criticised the Central Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat’s initial reluctance to refer the case to the Tribunal under conditions that would halt the ongoing case at the Supreme Court. Only after persistent demands from KCR did the Central Minister agree to proceed with the tribunal’s adjudication, provided the State withdrew its petition, which Telangana did in June 2021.

Harish Rao stressed the importance of continuing the fight for a permanent solution to the water distribution under Section 3 while also seeking an interim increase in water allocation by 50 per cent. He emphasised that Telangana’s rights must be vigorously defended through expert legal advocacy in upcoming tribunal hearings.