Hyderabad: Deadlock continues on NSP, maintenance work stalled

Hyderabad: Much-needed routine maintenance work at Nagarjuna Sagar Press has come to a halt and there is a deadlock over operational control of the project. At its peak, Andhra Pradesh had forcefully taken control of 13 computers at the head of the press and was in no mood to give it up. The maintenance work assumed by Telangana in the joint project was intermediate in respect of some components. The press site, which was handed over to the CRPF for security and surveillance in the first week of December, is not accessible to the Telangana operations and maintenance department. “The operation and maintenance work of the press is at a standstill. The material collected was distributed through the entire press from door No. 1 to door No. 26 for changing paths with portal crane 125T/25T. The collision also prompted actions to automate the doors”, officials said. The only maintenance work carried out in the last months was replacement of rubber joints of computers of hydel side AP units. Telangana had turned over the new gates to AP, which had the task of operationally controlling the entire project. More than Rs 7 crore was spent in the maintenance of the press. AP officials had also taken control of the flood control room located between door number 14 and door number 26 on the right side of the press. AP had claimed that the place was under its jurisdiction. Telangana officials were almost forced to leave the flood control room. Officials said that KRMB should have taken the matter seriously and intervened, but it did not do so. The State Security Organization of the Press (SDSO) and its operation and maintenance branches had repeatedly written to the National Security Organization of the Press and the Management Board of Rio Krishna on this subject. Who knows the O&M, who took up the maintenance work. Officials said they have not yet received complete clarity on the subject. It was not known whether KRMB would be in charge of operations and maintenance in the case of Tungabhadra River Management Board. Officials said the KRMB would have to overcome its limitations in terms of budget and manpower to handle such tasks. In a letter addressed to the KRMB chairman, TS engineer chief (general) C Muralidhar Rao urged immediate restoration of the status quo ante before November 28. As per instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs following the November 29 confrontation between police forces of Telangana and AP states, it was expected that the KRMB would help restore status quo at the press venue. Officials said all issues related to operation and maintenance of the press should be resolved in a high-level meeting to be held soon with the principal secretaries of both the states.