Latest news with #UttamKumarReddy
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam Kumar Reddy briefs on meeting with CR Patil on Godavari -Bankacharla project
Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy has expressed concerns over Godavari-Banakacharla project in a media briefing following discussions with Union Minister for Jal Sakti, CR Patil, in Delhi. Reddy emphasised the apprehensions voiced by local farmers and residents regarding the project, stating that these concerns were communicated to the Union Minister, who assured that they would be taken into account. "We have requested the swift issuance of the Krishna Tribunal's verdict," Reddy said, highlighting the urgency of the matter. He further proposed the potential of the Ichchampalli-Nagarjunasagar link to transport water from the Penna Basin, indicating Telangana's willingness to engage in discussions over this connection. He said that Union Minister Patil has promised to facilitate a meeting between the Chief Ministers of the two Telugu states to address ongoing issues. Reddy noted that many projects in Telangana have not yet received central approval and urged for funding to support the Musi revival project and appealed for water allocations for various state initiatives, including the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, Sammakka Sarakka, and Thummadihatti projects.
India Gazette
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Telangana: BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri terms Banakacherla's project meeting
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 19 (ANI): BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri has criticised the proposed meeting by Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on the Banakacherla project. He further highlighted the absence of communication between the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on the issue. 'Banakacherla project is the Andhra Pradesh govt's proposal. The Centre has not received any major documentation yet. According to me, the Centre will go as per the CWC guidelines and the Godavari River Board. Till now, there is no correspondence between the CMs of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on this. The meeting, called by Uttam Kumar Reddy, is a sheer eyewash. He has no clue about what Telangana wants, how the state will move forward if Telangana needs more water. We have info that Uttam Reddy is operating on KCR's orders,' he said. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha also voiced strong opposition to the Banakacherla project under the proposed Godavari-Cauvery river linking, alleging that it would deprive Telangana of its rightful share of river water and leave several districts in the state parched. She further criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, claiming that he has failed to effectively intervene and stop the decision being made by the Central government. Speaking to ANI, K Kavitha said, 'In the proposed river linking project of Godavari-Cauvery, Telangana will lose its water share because now Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu is trying to change the linkage point from Telangana to the Andhra Pradesh region. We are severely objecting to it.' 'Unfortunately, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy is not able to effectively stop this decision being made by the Central government. If the linkage point is shifted to Andhra Pradesh, half of the Telangana districts will be left parched. We will lose rights to the Godavari river water in the future. We severely object to this particular river linkage project, which is under the name Banakacherla,' the BRS MLC stated. The Godavari-Banakacherla Link Scheme is a massive project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government at an estimated cost of Rs 80,112 crore. The plan involves diverting 200 TMC of water 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. In April, the Telangana government decided to approach the Supreme Court against two major river interlinking projects proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government - the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Scheme and the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS), state Minister for Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies, Uttam Kumar Reddy had said. (ANI)
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
EAC holds meeting on Polavaram–Banakacherla Project
The Environmental Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment convened a meeting to discuss the environmental clearance for the Godavari-Banakacherla Project on Tuesday (June 17, 2025). The committee is led by Professor Chakrapani, and the meeting was held in virtual mode from the Ministry's office in New Delhi. As part of this meeting, the committee is reviewing the proposal submitted by the Andhra Pradesh Government and will evaluate the environmental impact of the Banakacherla project. The Water Resources Department officials consider the meeting of the EAC as a major milestone in the approval process. The committee is now assessing the likely environmental consequences of undertaking the project. Based on the committee's report, subsequent permissions will be considered. Recognising the importance of the moment, the A.P. Government is treating this meeting with utmost seriousness. The A.P. Government would be asked to conduct the environmental impact, studies, etc. The EAC, at present, is studying the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the Godavari-Banakacherla Link project proposed by Andhra Pradesh. The EAC's evaluation report will play a critical role in determining the project's future permissions. At a later stage, the Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be prepared. The EAC meeting assumes significance in the wake of the Telangana Government's serious objections to the project. Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy has written a letter to the EAC, urging it not to grant any approval and to outrightly reject the Banakacherla Project. He stated that the Andhra Pradesh Government was moving ahead with the project without prior consent or notification to Telangana. The project seeks to divert the Godavari waters to the Krishna basin, which he claims will result in violating Telangana's legitimate water rights. He strongly urged that no environmental clearance be granted to the project.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana Minister Uttam asks Centre to reject AP request for appraisal of Banakacherla
HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday requested Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav not to undertake any appraisal of the Polavaram-Banakacherla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government and reject outright the request to grant ToR in the upcoming meeting of EAC. In a letter to the Union minister, Uttam said that the AP government submitted the proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Forest requesting terms of reference (ToR) for the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project to divert 200 tmcft of floodwaters. This proposal was included as an agenda item for the 33rd meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on river valley projects scheduled on June 17, 2025. 'In this regard, it is to state that Andhra Pradesh has no locus standi for undertaking such a link project as the proposal submitted by it is totally against the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal, 1980. The Telangana government, in its earlier protracted correspondence to MoEF/MoJS/CWC/GRMB/PPA, has explicitly stated that AP has no right to unilaterally proceed with such a huge project which will alter the water dynamics of the River Godavari infringing on the water rights of Telangana state,' Uttam wrote to Yadav in the letter. The Ministry of Jal Shakti too on its part assured Telangana that Central Water Commission (CWC) would duly examine such a proposal in accordance with extant guidelines, existing awards, inter-state agreements and various provisions under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, Uttam recalled. The letter also pointed out that the AP submitted the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the project proposal to the Project Appraisal Directorate of the Central Water Commission (CWC) on May 23, 2025. The PFR was then forwarded to KRMB, GRMB and co-basin states on June 11, for their comments, he wrote.
