Vijayawada: To resolve disputes on irrigation projects involving various technical issues, the chief ministers of both Telugu states on Wednesday decided to constitute a committee with irrigation experts, officials from both states, and the Central Water Commission (CWC).The Union Jal Shakti minister, CR Patil, held a coordination meeting with the chief ministers of AP and Telangana, officials from the irrigation department, and the CWC on Wednesday to discuss the pending issues between the states.Though the controversial Polavaram–Banakacharla project was also on the agenda, the meeting ended without much discussion on it. Telangana, which opposes the project, informed the Union Jal Shakti Ministry that it is not willing to participate in any discussion on the project. However, Andhra Pradesh irrigation minister Nimmala Ramanaidu announced that the high-power committee, to be constituted within a week, will also deal with the Banakacharla project.Ramanaidu said that the committee will examine the technical aspects involved in the Banakacharla project and also the surplus water in the Godavari river going into the sea (about 3000 tmc ft of water) every year. He said that the committee will also examine the ongoing projects in both states and will suggest steps to be taken to resolve the issues amicably between the two states. The meeting did not discuss much on the new projects proposed by Telangana and was confined to existing pending disputes.The meeting brought consensus on three major issues. Both states agreed to install telemetry meters to measure the outflow going into the canals from reservoirs shared by both states.Both states also agreed upon the repair works to be undertaken at the Srisailam plunge pool. The third decision taken in the meeting was that both states agreed to set up the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) in Hyderabad and the Krishna River Water Management Board (KRMB) in Amaravati.
