Telangana BJP unit pitches for Godavari-Cauvery river interlinking project

The BJP’s Telangana unit, led by N. Ramchandra Rao, has urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to prioritise the Godavari-Cauvery Interlinking of Rivers project and repair damaged barrages.

Hyderabad: The BJP State unit has strongly pitched for the Godavari-Cauvery Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project, stating that it would help utilize surplus Godavari waters and benefit seven States.

BJP State president N. Ramchander Rao urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to ensure proper utilization of the 968 tmc ft of assured Godavari waters allocated to Telangana.

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“Only after all the assured irrigation projects are completed can the additional Godavari waters under the Centre’s ILR project be effectively utilized,” Ramchander Rao said in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister.

He explained that the proposed Godavari-Cauvery ILR project would connect the River Godavari at Inchampalli in Telangana with the River Cauvery at Grand Anicut. The alignment would pass through the Nagarjunasagar project on the River Krishna and the Somasila project on the River Penna.

The BJP leader also urged the State government to speed up repairs to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages.

Referring to reports submitted by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) in November 2023, May 2024 and April 2025, Ramchander Rao alleged that the Congress government had failed to act with urgency despite repeated recommendations.

He said the NDSA had advised the government to conduct geophysical and geotechnical studies to identify the root causes behind the damage to the barrages.

“Proper and timely tests suggested by the NDSA were not carried out as required. This delayed rehabilitation measures needed to restore the barrages,” Rao said.

As a result, the barrages are yet to become fully functional, preventing Telangana from utilizing nearly 200 tmc ft of Godavari waters, he added.