AP satisfied with Centre's fiat on Babli: Minister

Hyderabad, Apr 5 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Major Irrigation Minister P Lakshmaiah today expressed satisfaction with the Centre's direction to Maharashtra to stop work on Babli Project across River Godavari.

''For the first time in the history, the Centre has directed a state to stop a project,'' the Minister claimed before reporters on his return here from New Delhi.

A team of irrigation engineers from Nizamabad had left for Babli to supervise the implementation of the Centre's directive, he said.

To a question, he said Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had agreed in clear terms to stop the project pending a meeting of technical experts from both the states in the presence of Central Water Commission experts on May 20 to thrash out the issue.

The upper riparian state had restarted work on the project early last month following reduction in water level in the river.

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