Cash-strapped KRMB and GRMB look for immediate support

The Krishna River Management Board, left with a precarious balance sheet, is uncertain of paying salaries for its staff, while the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) is supporting its activities with reserve funds.

Hyderabad: The cash-strapped Krishna River Management Board and the Godavari River Management Board are likely to face gloomy prospects in the new year.

With water sharing between the two Telugu States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh turning more and more ticklish year after year, the river boards are expected to play a decisive role in conflict resolution. Being low on funds, the tasks shouldered by the board are likely to be plagued by the serious money worries they were in for.

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The Krishna River Management Board, left with a precarious balance sheet, is uncertain of paying salaries for its staff, while the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) is supporting its activities with reserve funds. Both are on the verge of running dry in terms of funds. It is difficult to expect funds to come by in a day or two.

As a result, the KRMB has been forced to convene a special meeting for an urgent review of its finances as the sole issue on its agenda. The KRMB has scheduled the meeting for January 12. The GRMB will hold a similar meeting in the first week of February to discuss its finances among other issues.

The issue of fund crunch impacting their operations is likely to figure prominently in the deliberations at the meeting of the five river management boards of India – including KRMB and GRMB – to be held in Delhi on January 9 with Debashree Mukerjee, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti in chair.

Commenting on the worsening financial situation of the river boards established under Section 85(1) of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, a senior officer said both AP and TS were not releasing funds as agreed upon. Some 56 employees are in the fold of KRMB. They are uncertain of receiving their salaries for the current month unless at least one of the States comes to their rescue.

Another 45 employees and officials of the GRMB are being paid from the reserve funds of the Board and they may last less than a month or two. After failing to evoke the desired response from the governments of both the States, they are planning to take up the issue with the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Both the KRMB and GRMB are autonomous bodies under the administrative control of the Central government. Under Section 86(2) of the AP Reorganisation Act, it has been stipulated that the two successor States should provide necessary funds to the river boards to meet their expenses. Both the States contributed Rs 45.63 crore to KRMB during the last 10 years as against Rs 45.45 crore it spent on its operations and salaries during the same period.

Both the states were to provide the KRMB Rs 11.75 crore each per annum to meet its expenses.

For the financial year 2023-24, while the government of Telangana was expected to contribute Rs 11. 75 crore and AP has to pay Rs 13.61 crore (including dues) to the board. AP released only Rs.3.35 crore in May 2023. Several letters were addressed to both the governments. The KRMB was left with a balance of just Rs.22 lakh, which would not be sufficient to pay the salaries of employees even for January.

As for the Godavari Board, it has been left with the minimum reserve fund to run its show and it may not last long, said an official. While AP owed Rs.9.43 crore, Telangana has to clear a due of Rs 4.77 crore.