The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday stayed the directions of the State Government to release water from the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir to the Krishna delta.
Responding to a public interest petition filed by retired APSEB chief engineer V Venkata Reddy and 10 others from Hyderabad and Nalgonda districts with a request for direction to the government not to release water from the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir to the Krishna delta if the Minimum Draw Down Level (MDDL) at the dam falls below 525 feet, the court in its interim orders directed the government not to release water if water level was below 510 feet.
The court also issued notices to the State Government and Irrigation Department asking them to submit a comprehensive report on the status of discharge of water from the dam within two weeks. While issuing notices, the court adjourned the hearing on the case for two weeks.
It may be mentioned that despite protests from the TRS, CPI and CPI-ML (ND), the government has decided to release 15 TMC feet of water from the reservoir to save crops in the delta area on a daily basis from the first week of July.
In the petition, the petitioners alleged that the government’s decision violated the rights of the people of Nalgonda and the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad with regard to drinking water requirement. Bowing to the demand made by the Delta ayacutdars and their public representatives, the government decided to release the water to the Prakasam barrage at Vijayawada.
The release of water would directly affect the rights of left canal ayacutdars, the petitioners said and requested the court to declare the government’s decision as illegal, unconstitutional and discriminatory. (INN)