TS, AP Chief Secretaries likely to discuss NSP row in New Delhi

State irrigation officials said that information pertaining to the dam operations was furnished to the Chief Secretary well in advance.

Hyderabad: The row over the operational control of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States is likely to be discussed by the Chief Secretaries of both states, on the sidelines of the third national conference of Chief Secretaries to be held in New Delhi from December 27 to 29. The conference will be chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

State irrigation officials said that information pertaining to the dam operations was furnished to the Chief Secretary well in advance. “As the Minister of Jal Shakti was asked for rescheduling the meeting to discuss issues related to the operations of the in January, We are waiting for the Secretary, Department of Water Resources to take a call on the issue”, they informed.

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Protection of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was handed over to the Central Reserve Police, relieving the Telangana police on the job till December 1. The Ministry of Jal Shakti was weighing the option of handing over the operational control of the Dam to the KRMB following a vain bid by Andhra Pradesh to take control of 13 of the 26 crest gates of the project along with the head regulator of its right main canal on November 29.

Timely intervention of Home Secretary Ajit Kumar Bhalla helped in preventing a confrontation between the police force of the two States at the project. At his behest, the Ministry of the Home Secretary, the Ministy Jal Shakti, convened a meeting of the top officials of both the States on December 6 and again on December 8. TS chief secretary has sought postponement of the meeting to next month.