Harish writes to Kishan over injustice to Telangana in irrigation project approvals

Urges the Union Minister to safeguard Telangana’s rightful share of Godavari River waters and ensure timely project approvals

Hyderabad: Former Minister T Harish Rao raised serious concerns over delays in approving key irrigation projects in Telangana, resulting in severe injustice to the State. He pointed out multiple issues stemming from pending clearances and alleged negligence by the Centre in this regard.

In a detailed letter to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Harish Rao said the Andhra Pradesh government was violating the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act by initiating the Godavari-Banakacharla project without mandatory approvals from the Godavari-Krishna Boards. He stated that the project would divert 200 TMC of Godavari water to the Penna Basin, depriving Telangana of critical irrigation benefits.

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The former Irrigation Minister also found fault with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for seeking funds from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for this project. “It is unfortunate that Telangana is still awaiting approvals to lift one more TMC in addition to the 2 TMC per day through Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme,” he remarked.

He pointed to the six-month delay in granting Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) clearance for the Sitamma Sagar project and called for intervention to expedite Chhattisgarh’s NOC for the Sammakka Sagar project. Environmental clearances for the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme remain another bottleneck, he added.

Harish Rao stated that Telangana’s irrigation initiatives, such as Mission Kakatiya for tank restoration, and checkdams construction have greatly improved water availability. However, the delay in approvals for lifting an additional 1 TMC of floodwaters for the Kaleshwaram project is hindering progress.

He urged the Union Minister to safeguard Telangana’s rightful share of Godavari River waters and ensure timely project approvals, in the wake of the Congress government’s failure in Telangana to expedite the construction of the irrigation projects. He emphasised the need for the Centre’s full cooperation in protecting Telangana’s irrigation and development interests.