AP wants 66:34 forever; the record says ‘ad hoc’
Telangana’s case is simple: stop treating a 2015 stopgap as scripture. The BJP-led Centre’s own board called 512:299 a working arrangement, not a final share.
The 2015 Krishna sharing figures remain under adjudication.
Andhra Pradesh turned up at the Brijesh Kumar tribunal wanting the Krishna water split to stay at 66:34. A Telugu report says it asked to “protect” 512 TMC for AP and 299 TMC for Telangana, and to avoid any redistribution by basin parameters. That is AP’s line; the tribunal’s proceedings are not yet on record to verify who said what inside the room.
What is on record: the 512:299 split exists because, on 18–19 June 2015 in Delhi, officials agreed to use it as a working arrangement for that year. The Krishna River Management Board’s own annual report says exactly that — “may be followed as the working arrangement for the year 2015–16” — listing AP at 512.04 TMC and Telangana at 298.96 TMC out of 811 TMC inherited from the old state under KWDT‑I. Another KRMB report repeats the figures, notes AP even contested Telangana’s share then (calling it 279 TMC), and still does not promote 66:34 to a tribunal‑settled entitlement. A National Green Tribunal order summarising the background calls the 2015 split an amicable arrangement, not an award.
The BJP‑led Centre itself re-armed the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal in October 2023 to adjudicate the AP–Telangana dispute afresh — which would be an odd thing to do if 66:34 were holy writ. Telangana has publicly sought a fairer interim sharing — including 50:50 — pending final adjudication.
So here is the choice. Telangana asks for adjudication on facts and basin reality. Andhra Pradesh asks to freeze a stopgap and call it justice. The Congress government in Karnataka choking the Krishna upstream has not bothered to answer that either — but it benefits from everyone pretending the 2015 “arrangement” is forever.