-Revanth and Uttam meet Union Jal Shakti Minister in New Delhi; urge Centre to reject AP’s proposal

-CR Patil likely to convene Apex Council meeting

metro india news  I hyderabad

The Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, accompanied by Irrigation Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy and senior state officials, met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil at Shram Shakti Bhavan on Thursday to lodge a formal and emphatic objection to the proposed Banakacharla Lift Irrigation Project being undertaken by Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana delegation urged the Centre to immediately reject the pre-feasibility report submitted by AP, citing grave violations of inter-state agreements and national laws.

The Chief Minister stressed that the Banakacharla project was not only in contravention of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, but also posed a serious threat to the legitimate water rights of Telangana. He stated that the Andhra Pradesh government had unilaterally proposed the project without consulting the Apex Council, Godavari River Management Board, or the Central Water Commission, as mandated under existing frameworks.

Revanth questioned Andhra Pradesh’s claim that the project would utilize flood or surplus waters from the Godavari, pointing out that such categories have no legal standing in the GWDT provisions. He also drew attention to earlier precedents where AP undertook projects like Pattiseema, Purushothapatnam, Chintalapudi, and Venkatanagaram without Central permissions, bypassing the Technical Advisory Committee of CWC and environmental norms.

He urged the Union Minister to immediately halt the Banakacharla project process and ensure no approvals were granted without proper inter-state and central consultations. The CM warned that if the Centre failed to act, Telangana would be compelled to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court. The CM emphasized that Telangana is committed to resolving inter-state issues amicably and in the spirit of federalism, but not at the cost of the state's rightful share and interests.

Union Minister responds positively; Apex Council meeting likely

Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Union Minister CR Patil responded positively to the concerns raised by the Telangana delegation. He clarified that the DPR for the Banakacharla project had not yet reached the Ministry and assured that a meeting of the Apex Council would be convened soon to deliberate on inter-state water issues.