Supreme Court reserves decision on whether federal firearms ban should stand

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has instructed officials to strengthen their arguments in the ongoing Supreme Court case regarding the sharing of Krishna River waters between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The case is expected to be heard after November 18, prompting a review meeting with legal experts and senior irrigation officials to discuss the State's approach.

Revanth Reddy emphasized the importance of a robust legal strategy in addressing the dispute, urging officials to provide all pertinent material and evidence to the court. He also directed engineers to expedite the Dindi and Achampet lift irrigation schemes, ensuring water from Edula is supplied to both projects, as previously decided. The Chief Minister stressed that the State must release 0.6 tmc ft of water from Narlapur to Edula without any obstruction.

While discussing the Kaleshwaram project, Reddy cautioned against hasty decisions regarding the additional 1 TMC ft of water. He urged officials to ensure that errors made by the previous government are not repeated and to conduct a comprehensive examination of technical and administrative aspects before proceeding with the extra works. The Chief Minister also directed officials to review pending cases related to Kaleshwaram in the Supreme Court and to acquire land only after carefully considering the legal position.

Furthermore, Reddy stressed the necessity of obtaining all required clearances from the Central Water Commission. The meeting was attended by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, senior Supreme Court advocate C.S. Vaidyanathan, and other senior irrigation officials.