Centre urged to examine Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme DPR

Telangana government has urged the Central Water Commission to immediately examine the DPR and grant the required permission to take up the project

Hyderabad: Taking strong objection to the Centre turning down the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) sent by it, the Telangana government has urged the Central Water Commission (CWC) to immediately examine the DPR and grant the required permission to take up the project at the earliest.

Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Rajat Kumar on Tuesday wrote a letter to Jal Shakti Ministry secretary Pankaj Kumar urging him to direct the CWC to examine the PRLIS DPR sent by the State government and issue permission at the earliest.

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He stated that a detailed explanation about the project was given for all the issues raised by the CWC in the past, hence, there should not be any problem for the Centre to examine the DPR.

Taking objection to the CWC claim that the DPR could not be taken up for examination until the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II) gives its verdict on the issue, Rajat Kumar recalled that Justice Brijesh Kumar said that they do not have the authority to allocate water, hence, it was requested to examine the DPR and grant permissions subject to the final judgment of the Tribunal.

According to the gazette released by the Central government on July 15, 2021, Palamuru-Ranga Reddy has been included on the list of non-permitted projects and it has been said that permissions should be obtained within six months, he said, adding that the DPR has been submitted for permissions.

He reminded that it is the Centre’s responsibility to scrutinise the DPR and grant permissions within six months from then. However, it is unfair for the CWC to say that the DPR cannot be examined because the case is pending in the Tribunal, he said.

On the one hand, the Centre was not clearing the DPR of PRLIS and on the other, it has not only given all the permission to the Upper Bhadra irrigation project in Karnataka but also given national status and announced a grant of Rs 5,300 crore for it, he said. “How can the Centre have different norms for Telangana and Karnataka?” he asked.

“Why is injustice being done to Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, which proposed to provide drinking water and irrigate 12.30 lakh acres to 1,200 villages in 6 districts in drought-prone and fluoride-affected areas? Is it different for each state when it comes to permits for projects?” he asked.

During the 2014 elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that after coming to power the BJP government would complete the project, he reminded. He urged the Centre to immediately examine the DPR and grant permission at the earliest.