The Supreme Court on Friday formally named Telangana as an “affected” State with a voice of its own in the Krishna water litigation post-bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
A three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha made Telangana a party in the litigation moved in the Supreme Court against the awards of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunals.
‘Rights of both States affected’“After bifurcation of the States, the rights of both States have been affected,” the CJI observed.
Appearing for Telangana, senior advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan said the State would file a separate special leave petition and it was important to hear Telangana’s arguments in the case.
The Chief Justice agreed that a fresh look needed to be considered in the dispute as Telangana had never been heard or represented before.
In January, the Andhra Pradesh government moved the Supreme Court challenging the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal II permitting Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam from 519.6 to 524.25 mts.
In its special leave petition against the November 29, 2013 award, the A.P. government said “the KWDT has erred in permitting Karnataka to raise the height of Alamatti dam which is detrimental to the rights and interests of people of Andhra Pradesh.”
It said “the award will adversely affect the timely flow of water to the State, affecting agricultural operations in the Krishna Basin and the entire ayacut of more than 35 lakh acres.”
