Jal Shakti Minister’s adviser accuses State officials of non-cooperation in Medigadda

Vedire Sriram, advisor to the Union Jal Shakti Minister and chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, voiced criticism toward the State government for its failure to furnish requested details to the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) for a thorough investigation into the Medigadda incident.

Hyderabad: Vedire Sriram, adviser to the union Jal Shakti Minister and the chairman of the Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers, criticised the State government for not providing details sought by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) to conduct a detailed probe into the Medigadda incident.

He found fault with the then UPA government at the Centre for drafting of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, with many deficiencies over water allocations and irrigation projects management.

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Speaking to mediapersons here on Thursday, Sriram raised concerns over the lack of details provided by the State officials post the Medigadda incident when the NDSA team visited the barrage ahead of the Assembly elections in Telangana. He also accused the current Congress government of non-compliance with the NDSA’s requests to cooperate and provide details sought by them, for an indepth probe into factors that led to the sinking of piers at the barrage.

The advisor to the union Jal Shakti Minister claimed that the Medigadda barrage was constructed without involving geological surveys. He emphasised the need for third-party quality checks and staggered completion reports during the project construction. The NDSA committee, approved by the union Minister, is set to visit the spot next week, following a request from the State government.

Further, Sriram pointed to the AP Reorganisation Act’s failure to specify water allocations while allowing completion of six projects including four in Andhra Pradesh and two in Telangana. He urged both states to engage in dialogue and resolve the issues.

He asserted that the ongoing disputes between both the States can be resolved only with allocation of water by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II.