Hyderabad: The central government has turned down Telangana’s request to give national project status to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation (PRLI) Scheme. The reason given was an ongoing legal dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over sharing Krishna river water.
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, told the Lok Sabha that the Centre cannot consider the request since the issue is currently being heard by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 and is also pending in the Supreme Court.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Jal Shakti Ministry to approve national project status for the PRLI scheme. He highlighted the importance of the scheme in several meetings with the Prime Minister, stressing the need for central support to finish the costly project.
The PRLI scheme is designed to supply water for irrigation to dry areas in the old Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts. It also aims to help solve the drinking water shortage in Greater Hyderabad.
In response to a question from Congress MP Ch Kirankumar Reddy, Minister Choudhary again stated that the Jal Shakti Ministry is not considering Telangana’s request. He added that while a techno-economic report on the project was submitted, the Centre did not act on it because of the legal issues.
The minister explained that since the water-sharing case is still in the Supreme Court and being reviewed by the Krishna Tribunal, it is not possible to grant national project status to the PRLI scheme at this time.
Choudhary also revealed that Telangana had sent its proposal to the Jal Shakti Ministry in September 2022. However, the ministry returned the request in December 2024, pointing to the legal complications involved.
