BRS MLA Harish Rao slams Centre for backing Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari-Banakacherla project

Accuses Centre of denying Telangana support for key irrigation schemes, demands State's rightful share of Godavari and Krishna basin waters

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao strongly criticised the BJP-led Central government for allegedly discriminating against Telangana’s irrigation interests while extending full support to Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari-Banakacherla link project.

At a press conference, Rao said Andhra Pradesh was proceeding aggressively with the Rs 80,000-crore project with the tacit approval of the Centre. He alleged that the Centre had relaxed Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) norms for Andhra Pradesh, enabling it to raise significant funds for the Banakacherla project, while Telangana was made to struggle to mobilise funds for key projects like the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).

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“To execute the Kaleshwaram project, the BRS government had to form a consortium to raise funds. Yet, the Centre invoked recovery clauses, citing FRBM violations by Telangana,” he said.

Rao accused the Centre of double standards in granting project approvals, citing the Polavaram project’s national status as an example. “While Andhra Pradesh receives 90 per cent Central funding under the river-linking initiative, Telangana’s Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project has been denied similar support,” he said.

He also warned that plans were underway to divert Godavari water via Polavaram, bypassing Telangana. “The original take-off point at Sammakka Sagar has now been ignored,” Rao claimed.

Quoting the Bachawat Tribunal, Rao noted that 969 TMC of Godavari water was allocated to undivided Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana must safeguard its legitimate share before Andhra Pradesh asserts further claims through projects like Banakacherla.

He pointed out that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal had allowed 80 TMC of Godavari water to be diverted via Polavaram to the Krishna basin and permitted Telangana to utilise an additional 45 TMC of Krishna water above Nagarjuna Sagar.

“If Andhra Pradesh diverts 200 TMC through Godavari-Banakacherla, Telangana must receive at least 112.5 TMC more, taking the total to 157 TMC. This is essential to meet the requirements of Palamuru-Rangareddy, Kalwakurthy, and Dindi projects,” he asserted.

Rao condemned what he termed as Andhra Pradesh’s unauthorised implementation of the Godavari-Banakacherla project without statutory approvals, even as it has repeatedly objected to Telangana’s irrigation initiatives.

He recalled that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had, in the past, written several times to the Centre opposing Telangana’s projects, including Kaleshwaram, Palamuru-Rangareddy, Kalwakurthy, and Dindi lift irrigation schemes.