Latest news with #PolavaramIrrigationProject
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.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam urges Centre to bin AP's proposal for ToR for Polavaram
Hyderabad: State Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav urging the ministry to reject the proposal for Terms of Reference (ToR) sought by Andhra Pradesh for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP). The minister 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, Uttam Kumar Reddy 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. Uttam Kumar Reddy referred to the Supreme Court's order dated September 6, 2022, which clearly observed that 'there are some technically 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. The Minister strongly urged the ministry 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 to 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
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.
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana objects to AP's plan to draw Polavaram dead storage water; calls it unauthorised
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has raised strong objections against the Andhra Pradesh government's reported plans to construct a new Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS) drawing water from the dead storage of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. The Telangana government has called on the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) to take immediate action as mandated under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA), 2014. On Saturday, Engineer-in-Chief (General) G Anil Kumar wrote a letter — a copy of which was accessed by TNIE — addressed to the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the GRMB to prevent the proposal from moving forward. This objection comes in the wake of a news report published in a vernacular daily on May 21, which stated that the Andhra Pradesh government plans to lift water from a 35-metre level in the dead storage of the Polavaram reservoir during the current financial year. The report cited G.O. RT No. 134, issued on April 19, 2021, as the basis for the plan.
