metro india news  I hyderabad

The Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, on Monday, wrote a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, urging the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to reject the Terms of Reference (ToR) and withhold environmental clearance for the proposed Godavari- Banakacharla project by the Andhra Pradesh government.

In a strongly worded communication, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out multiple violations by the Andhra Pradesh government in both Krishna and Godavari basins, including illegal expansions of projects and exceeding the approved scope under the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP). He reminded that MoEF had earlier issued a "Stop Work Order" on the PIP in 2011 due to these deviations and that the order, although kept in abeyance, is valid until July 2, 2026.

The Minister emphasized that key infrastructure components of the PIP have been altered significantly, including enhancement of water drawing capacities and unauthorized construction of twin tunnels for 40,000 cusecs (as against the approved 20,000 cusecs). These violations, he said, compromise the integrity of project approvals and infringe upon the rights of Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

Citing the Supreme Court’s observations from September 6, 2022, which highlighted the need for thorough technical and environmental scrutiny, Reddy urged the Centre not to entertain Andhra Pradesh's project proposal at the upcoming Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) meeting.

He reiterated that the matter is currently sub judice and stressed that any clearance or appraisal without addressing the legal, environmental, and inter-state concerns would be unjust and detrimental to Telangana’s water interests. Copies of the letter were also marked to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Chairman of the Central Water Commission, CEO of the Polavaram Project Authority, and the Engineer-in-Chief (General), Telangana.