Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay is scheduled to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on October 13 to press for the regulated release of Krishna water to Tamil Nadu and discuss river-linking proposals, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The meeting is centred on Andhra Pradesh’s obligation to supply 11 TMC of Krishna water annually from the Kandaleru reservoir to Tamil Nadu. The report states that the water has not been released regularly, even though Tamil Nadu pays Andhra Pradesh’s Water Resources Department an annual canal maintenance charge of Rs 100 crore.
The discussion places the focus on the administrative arrangements behind an inter-state water transfer. The release of water depends not only on the availability of the resource but also on the operation and maintenance of the canal system through which it is delivered. Tamil Nadu’s demand for a regulated supply therefore combines a water-sharing request with a claim for more predictable implementation of the existing arrangement.
Vijay is travelling to Vijayawada in a private aircraft with Water Resources Minister Anand, Chief Secretary Saikumar and Water Resources Secretary Prashanth Vadnere, the report said. The delegation is expected to raise both the release of Krishna water to Tamil Nadu and the proposed interlinking of rivers.
The meeting with Naidu is scheduled for 4.15 pm at Vijayawada. Vijay is then scheduled to visit the Kanaka Durga temple at 6 pm before meeting Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. He is expected to return to Chennai at 8 pm.
The water issue is significant for Tamil Nadu because the reported annual allocation is linked to a continuing inter-state supply arrangement rather than a one-time project announcement. Irregular releases can make planning more difficult for the authorities and communities that depend on a dependable water system, while the annual maintenance payment adds a financial dimension to the implementation dispute.
The proposed river-linking discussion is also part of the meeting agenda, but the report does not provide details on a specific project design, funding structure, construction schedule or approval status. Any progress on that subject will depend on the positions taken by the two state governments and the institutional framework governing inter-state water transfers.
The chief minister is scheduled to travel to Coimbatore on October 16 to inaugurate a library building constructed at a reported cost of Rs 300 crore and interact with students. The immediate next step on the water issue is the scheduled meeting with the Andhra Pradesh chief minister and subsequent discussions with the deputy chief minister.
