Photo: Telangana activists protesting at Srisailam dam last week
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The state High Court has delivered another tight slap to the AP government. In the third judgement within three weeks, that exposed the injustice meted out to Telangana region by the AP government, the state High Court ordered the closure of Srisailam Dam gates immediately.
The judgement comes a week after a similar judgement where the High Court has ordered the closure of Nagarjuna Sagar gates too.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice P C Ghose and Justice Vilas V Afzalpurkar made this interim order while hearing a plea by retd chief engineer Vidya Sagar Rao and Kollapur MLA Jupalli Krishna Rao, whose petition contended that releasing water into Nagarjunasagar was contrary to the GO Ms No 69.
It should be reminded here that the state Chief Minister took a unilateral decision to provide water to farmers of the Krishna delta ignoring the drinking water needs of the Telangana region. This decision was made despite the court order restraining the government from releasing water from Nagarjunasagar in an indiscriminate manner.
D Prakash Reddy, counsel for the petitioners sought a similar restraint order to be passed by the court even in respect of Srisailam dam. The court sought a detailed reply from the state on the water levels and permissible levels to release water and directed them not to release Srisailam water when the level was indeed below 834 feet.
Related:
– HC orders govt to stop water release from Nagarjuna Sagar
– High Court orders seat increase in Osmania & Kakatiya Medical colleges
– How many court directions we need?