AP's plea on Almatti dam rejected

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn Andhra Pradesh's petition seeking rejection of Karnataka's plea in the Almatti Dam case.

Hearing the two states's cross suits to which Maharashtra was also a party, a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice J S Verma, Justices B N Kirpal and Srinivasan passed the order on the ground that AP's petition did not contain any cause of action.

The judges said Andhra Pradesh's plea for an injunction against Karnataka's decision to increase the dam height could not be entertained. For, Karnataka's affidavit stated that two 15-metre dam gates would be started only in October 1998 and be completed by March 1999.

The court, however, granted partial decree on AP's plea that the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal reports of 1973 and 1976 were binding on all the states -- Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

This was done as Karnataka and Maharashtra agreed with AP's contention.

UNI