Hyderabad: The row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over sharing of water and power has deepened with the former reducing the outflow of water from Nagarjuna Sagar project and the latter refusing to give Telangana its share of power from Krishnapatnam thermal project.
Telangana irrigation department has reduced the outflow into the right bank canal of NS project to 5,000 cu secs. down from 10,000 cu secs. saying Andhra Pradesh has already utilised its share of Krishna water. But AP government has denied Telangana’s claim and took the matter to Delhi.
The water row has come to the fore as the Andhra government refused to share power generated by Krishnapatnam project in Nellore district as well as Hinduja power plant in Visakhapatnam. The power generation at Krishnapatnam was expected to begin in March this year.
While Telangana says that under the AP State Reorganisation Act, it has a share in both the mega power projects, the Andhra government rejects the claim and says it will sell the surplus power to other states at the rate of Rs6.10 (36 fils) per unit.
Indirectly the Andhra government has conveyed the message that if Telangana wants it can purchase power from its plants.
Telangana insists that the Reorganisation Act gives 53.89 per cent share to it in the total power generated in undivided Andhra Pradesh, a contention AP has rejected.
With the two mega projects all set to go on stream and generate 2,640MW of power, the AP government hopes to become a power surplus state by early 2016.
On water issue, now pending before Krishna River Management Board, AP demands that the control of the 13 crest gates of right bank canal of NS project be handed over to it so that it could ensure the release of water to its farmers.
