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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Govt. asks Centre not to give clearances to Banakacharla-Polavaram project of A.P.
Taking strong objections to the Banakacharla-Polavaram project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government, the Telangana Government has said that the project of the neighbouring State is in gross violation of existing norms and will adversely affect the interests of the State. Government said that the neighbouring State cannot stake claim on the surplus water unilaterally as the flood water of the river Godavari belonged to all the co-terminus States. 'The project being taken up at a time when Telangana's legitimate water rights are yet to be established is tantamount to infringing upon our rights,' Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy convened a meeting of MPs from all political parties to explain them about the 'harmful effects' of the Polavaram-Banakacharla project on Telangana and take their suggestions on the 'way forward' on the issue. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was present in the meeting which was attended by D.K. Aruna and M. Raghunandan Rao of BJP, Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM and V. Ravichandra of BRS in addition to several MPs of the ruling Congress. CM seeks clarifications The meeting featured a power point presentation by Irrigation Department officials on the scope for Banakacharla-Polavaram project. The Chief Minister sought several clarifications on the exact allocation of assured water in Godavari to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He expressed concern that the neighbouring State planned to utilise over 300 tmc ft water additionally in the name of the proposed project. 'While the pre-feasibility report submitted by the AP Government says it plans to draw 2 tmc ft a day, it is in fact constructing civil works enabling it to draw more than 300 tmc ft,' he said. Officials explained the Chief Minister that the neighbouring State was expanding the capacity of the project with lining works enabling it to draw 8 tmc ft water a day. Mr. Revanth Reddy expressed concern that if allowed, the neighbouring State would continue to divert water from Krishna basin through Pattiseema project in addition to drawing additional water from Godavari. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the State had already addressed communication to AP and the Centre to convene a special emergency meeting of the Polavaram Project Authority urging it to reject the proposed project as it was against the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. The pre-feasibility report submitted by AP completely ignores Telangana in spite of being a co-basin State with no mention of State's projects in it. He expressed concern that AP had decided to change the operational schedule of the project without consulting the co-basin States including Telangana which was mandatory. 'This will result in cascading submergence issues to Telangana, especially for key areas like temple town Bhadrachalam and Manuguru heavy water plant,' he said. He lamented that the Central Government appeared to be going ahead in giving its nod to the project in spite of objections raised by Telangana. 'Myself and Chief Minister gave a written representation to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil conveying our concerns about the proposed project on March 3 this year. The Union Minister assured that the concerns of Telangana would be factored in before giving the clearances. But AP is going ahead with its plans,' he recalled. The State Government had therefore decided to call on the Union Jal Shakti Minister again to express Telangana's strong opposition to the project that would adversely impact the interests of the State as well as its future projects.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row over river waters deepens, State seeks opinion of MPs on A.P. proposal
The State government will seek inputs from all Members of Parliament (MPs) from Telangana before finalising its stance on the Godavari-Banakacherla project proposed by Andhra Pradesh. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday announced that a meeting with MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, cutting across party lines, will be held at his office at the Secretariat here on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will be the chief guest at the meeting, which will also be attended by Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Mr. Uttam Reddy said the State has urged the Centre to reject the pre-feasibility report of the Godavari-Banakacherla project, which is currently being reviewed by the Central Water Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. A presentation on the project is expected during the meeting, following which suggestions and feedback from the MPs will be invited. Meanwhile, BRS senior leader and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao has urged Mr. Uttam Reddy to press Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to immediately convene an Apex Council meeting to address what he called a violation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Mr. Uttam Reddy rejected Mr. Rao's claim that Telangana would gain 112.5 tmc ft of Krishna water if 80 tmc ft is diverted to the Krishna Delta through the Polavaram project. He called the suggestion 'absolutely wrong' and said it would severely harm Telangana's water rights and interests. He also urged Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to reject Andhra Pradesh's request for Terms of Reference for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project. He accused the A.P. government of repeatedly violating environmental clearances and tribunal allocations, warning that such actions are not only detrimental to riparian principles but also legally untenable. In a letter sent on Monday, Mr. Uttam Reddy alleged that A.P. has made massive and unauthorised alterations to components of the PIP in both the Krishna and Godavari basins. He said these changes exceed the scope permitted under the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award and the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Uttam urges Centre not to allow modifications to Polavaram
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav urging the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to reject the proposal for Terms of Reference (ToR) sought by Andhra Pradesh for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP). He alleged that the AP government's actions represent consistent violations of environmental clearances and tribunal allocations, calling them detrimental to riparian interests and legally untenable. In his letter on Monday, Mr. Uttam stated that Andhra Pradesh has carried out massive deviations in both the Krishna and Godavari basins by enlarging the scope of several components of the PIP, in violation of the permissions accorded by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award (GWDTA) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). He recalled that the Polavaram project originally received Environmental Clearance from MoEF under letter No. J-12011/74/2005-IA-1 dated October 25, 2005. However, the Andhra Pradesh government later implemented extensive changes without obtaining fresh clearance, prompting the Ministry to issue a 'Stop Work Order' on February 8, 2011. Although the order was issued due to the unapproved changes in the project's scope, it was kept in abeyance and has been repeatedly extended, most recently until July 2, 2026. This allowed the works to continue despite objections raised not only by Telangana but also by Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The Minister further pointed out that the Polavaram project, after being granted 'National Project' status by the government of India, continues to receive reimbursement of expenditures, but only for components that were approved under the original scope. 'Yet the AP government has proceeded with major infrastructural modifications,' he wrote. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy referred to the Supreme Court's order dated September 6, 2022, which clearly observed that 'there are some technical reports available but more may be required depending on the expansion of the project. Similarly, the issue of the environmental clearances would also have to be addressed.' The Court had also suggested that the Minister of Jal Shakti and MoEF&CC play a pioneering role by convening a meeting of all stakeholders to resolve the contentious issues. In his communication, the Minister warned that AP has gone far beyond the approved project parameters. 'The connectivity to draw water from the head sluice of the Polavaram Right Main Canal (PIPRMC) is now being designed for 40,000 cusecs, while the original design was for 20,000 cusecs. Twin tunnels, each with a discharge capacity of 20,000 cusecs, are under execution, and the infrastructure at the headworks has already been created accordingly,' he pointed out. He added that the PIPRMC is being executed with a drawal capacity of 17,560 cusecs against the DPR-approved 11,654 cusecs. Similarly, the Polavaram Left Main Canal (PIPLMC) is being constructed with the same 17,560 cusecs capacity, though only 8,123 cusecs were originally approved. He stressed that these changes in drawal capacities and the 'extensive alterations in the dimensional features of the project components' amount to a complete redesign of the project, undertaken without requisite clearances or approvals. The Minister strongly urged the MoEF&CC not to undertake any appraisal of the Andhra Pradesh government's project proposal in the forthcoming meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). 'In view of all the above, especially in the interest of justice, it is requested not to undertake any appraisal of this project proposal and outrightly reject the grant of ToR in the upcoming meeting of EAC,' he concluded.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Rabi 2024-25 paddy procurement crosses 72 lakh tonnes, 13 lakh tonnes more than 2022-23: Telangana Irrigation Minister
HYDERABAD The procurement of paddy for the 2024-25 Rabi season has crossed 72.42 lakh tonnes from 12.33 lakh farmers as on June 8 and it is 13 lakh tonnes higher compared to the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi's (BRS) last season in power, Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said. At a review meeting held in Hyderabad on Monday (June 9, 2025), he said that the higher procurement was possible with the opening of 1,344 more purchase centres compared to the BRS' last year in office. Against 7,034 centres opened in the 2022-23 Rabi season, the Congress government had opened 8,378 centres in the recent (2024-25) Rabi season. The record paddy production in the recent Rabi season was a milestone in the State's history as it was achieved despite the Kaleshwaram project, claimed as one of its major achievements by the BRS, turning useless, Mr. Reddy said. He said that the value of paddy procured for the 2024-25 Rabi season was ₹16,760 crore. Of it, ₹15,121 crore was already paid to farmers. Statute of paddy procurement as on June 8 in last four Rabi seasons Procurement year Purchase centres opened Quantity procured( in Lakh tonnes) No. of farmers (in lakh) Value of paddy procured (₹ in Cr) Payment made to farmers (₹ in Cr) 2021-22 6609 50.90 9.54 9864 5233 2022-23 7034 59.77 9.81 12289 5932 2023-24 7178 47.19 8.31 10328 9614 2024-25 8378 72.42 12.33 16760 15121
Hans India
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Telangana not to accept Andhra's Godavari-Banakacherla link project
Hyderabad: The Telangana government will not accept the Andhra Pradesh government's proposed Godavari-Banakacherla link project under any circumstances, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Tuesday. He made it clear that Telangana is against the project and will never accept it. Talking to media persons, the minister disputed the claim by the Andhra Pradesh leaders that they will use water going to waste into the sea. Uttam Kumar Reddy said all efforts were being made to stop the Godavari-Banakacherla project. The Telangana government has written letters to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil. He said that he directly spoke to the Union Minister to discuss the issue and urged him to stop the project. "We have conveyed our objections and we will respond at an appropriate time," he said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, during his separate meetings with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman and Jal Shakti Minister Patil on May 23, submitted a proposal seeking the Centre's project for the Polavaram-Banakalcherla link project. The project aims to divert surplus water from the Godavari River to water-scarce areas in south-central Andhra Pradesh. It will use lift irrigation and tunnels to connect the regions in three phases. The Chief Minister said that the project would benefit millions in drought-hit areas and serve as a model for river linking across India. The Detailed Project Report is expected this month. Naidu stated that the Polavaram–Banakacharla link project, costing Rs 80,000 crore, will divert 200 TMC of water without affecting any other states. "Telangana too is building projects on the Godavari. Over the past 100 years, 2,000 TMC of water flowed into the sea. Our plan is to redirect 200 TMC of this surplus to drought-prone areas through this project, to be initiated upon Central approval," he said. In April, Telangana Irrigation officials had opposed the project at the GRMB meeting. Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja and other officials presented strong arguments before the GRMB against AP for taking up the Godavari-Banakacherla project without approvals and for violating Tribunal orders. The officials told GRMB that, as per media reports, the G-B link scheme is a major project proposed with an estimated cost of Rs 80,112 crore. The plan involves diverting more than 200 tmcft from the Godavari River at Polavaram to Rayalaseema through the Bollapalli reservoir and Banakacherla head regulator. The proposal seeks to interlink the Godavari, Krishna and Penna rivers by expanding the Polavaram Reservoir Head Works against the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award.
