In Hyderabad, State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed strong opposition to Andhra Pradesh's plan to initiate the Godavari-Banakacharla Link Scheme. He emphasized that the Telangana Government is dedicated to safeguarding its water rights.
Reddy mentioned that he had repeatedly contacted the central government, highlighting serious breaches by Andhra Pradesh. He pointed out that Andhra Pradesh did not secure approvals from the Central Water Commission (CWC), the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), and the Apex Council as required by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA) 2014. Projects on inter-state rivers need these clearances, which Andhra Pradesh is ignoring.
The minister accused Andhra Pradesh of misapplying Sections 46(2) and 46(3) of the APRA 2014 to obtain funds from the Union Finance Ministry for regional development. He clarified that these sections do not bypass Part IX of the Act, which mandates technical clearance, consultations, and Apex Council approval for inter-state river projects.
Reddy revealed that Andhra Pradesh did not share any project proposals or detailed reports with Telangana or relevant boards. Despite Andhra Pradesh’s requests for funds from the Union Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, no detailed project report (DPR) was submitted. The ministries merely referred Andhra Pradesh’s requests to technical bodies like the GRMB, KRMB, and the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) for feedback, which is not the correct process.
The former BRS government failed to protect Telangana’s interests. In the previous united Andhra Pradesh, Telangana’s share was 724 tmcft. However, agreements by the BRS government reduced this to 299 tmcft, increasing Andhra Pradesh’s share to 512 tmcft.
Reddy criticized this as a betrayal, comparing the propagators of misinformation to Goebbels, accusing them of repeating falsehoods to hide their actions.
