Harish Rao questions Revanth Reddy govt’s inaction on illegal Banakacherla project

BRS senior leader T Harish Rao criticises the Revanth Reddy government for ignoring Andhra Pradesh’s Banakacherla project, alleging illegal Godavari water diversion, misleading letters, and failure to protect Telangana’s rights, urging immediate court action and political intervention

Hyderabad: Former Minister and BRS MLA T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the Revanth Reddy government, accusing it of turning a blind eye to illegal construction of the Banakacherla project by Andhra Pradesh, to divert Godavari river waters. He questioned the Congress government’s inaction despite Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil confirming in a September 23 letter that the Godavari-Banakacherla Project’s Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) was under techno-economic appraisal.

He demanded the Revanth Reddy government to immediately move the courts and lead an all-party delegation to Delhi to safeguard Telangana’s rights. “Stop playing dirty politics, wake up, and fight legally for our rightful water,” he asserted.

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In a statement, Harish Rao accused the Congress government of misleading people by releasing backdated letters. He said even after Andhra Pradesh issued a detailed project report (DPR) tender notification on October 6, neither the Chief Minister nor the Irrigation Minister raised objections with the union Jal Shakti Ministry to stop it.

“Releasing a letter today (October 14) with an old date of October 10 is nothing but misleading. What is the point of writing a letter to the Central Water Commission (CWC) when Andhra Pradesh issued tender notification for DPR?” he asked.

The former Minister said while Karnataka and Maharashtra have submitted clear objections and demands to the Centre, Telangana remains silent. He said Revanth Reddy, who went to Delhi for 55 times in 22 months, never remembered Telangana’s water rights even once.

Harish Rao charged that the Congress government’s indifference amounts to betrayal of Telangana’s irrigation interests. He stated that the Banakacherla project was being planned to illegally divert Godavari River floodwaters, but the Chief Minister and his team remained in deep slumber. He said the government was watching as a silent spectator, while Telangana’s share of water was being looted.