Hyderabad: The central committee formed to look into water disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is set to hold its first meeting in New Delhi on January 30.

The committee was formed on January 2 this year by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and is headed by the Chairman of the Central Water Commission.

Key issues like the Polavaram-Nallamalasagar Link Project and any other issues identified by the two states will be taken up during the meeting.

At the meeting, Telangana will be represented by the Irrigation and Water Resources Advisor, the Principal Secretary, and the Special Secretary of Irrigation, along with the Engineer-in-Chief of Irrigation. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh will be represented by the Special Chief Secretary of Water Resources, the Water Resources Advisor, the Engineer-in-Chief of Irrigation, and the Chief Engineer of Interstate Water Resources.

The Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) and Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) will provide technical inputs needed for the discussion and will also help in identifying which officers or technical experts should be co-opted to support the committee’s meetings.

Chairpersons of the GRMB and KRMB and the Chief Engineer of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) are also members of the committee.

Polavaram-Nallamalasagar Link Project dispute

The Supreme Court on January 12 had disposed of the Telangana government’s writ petition against Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram-Nallamalasagar Link Project and had asked it to file a fresh lawsuit under Article 131.

The Telangana government had objected to the Centre’s extension of financial assistance and grant of environmental clearances to Andhra Pradesh to expand the Polavaram project. They had also said that the detailed project report (DPR) violated the Central Water Commission’s (CWC’s) recommendations.

Earlier, during a hearing on January 5, the apex court had asked the parties to think about “mediation” to resolve the dispute.