Two years after Revanth-Naidu meeting, Telangana-AP issues remain unresolved, new ones surface

Two years after Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers held talks to resolve post-bifurcation issues, key matters remain unresolved. Fresh disputes over water sharing, the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project and village merger demands have further strained relations between the neighbouring States.

Hyderabad: Two years after Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu to resolve the long-pending issues post-bifurcation and other inter-State issues, several key matters remain unresolved. In the meantime, fresh disputes over water sharing have further strained relations between the two Telugu States.

The two Chief Ministers held talks at Praja Bhavan on July 6, 2024, amid much fanfare. Cabinet Ministers and senior officials from both States attended the meeting to discuss pending post-bifurcation issues, water disputes and other matters.
Although both leaders had expressed confidence in resolving the issues amicably and maintaining cordial relations, little progress has been made over the past two years.
After the July 2024 meeting, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao met Chandrababu Naidu twice, in November 2025 and February 2026. On both occasions, he urged the Andhra Pradesh government to merge five villages adjoining Bhadrachalam town back with Telangana.
The Minister said the demand reflected the long-standing aspirations of local residents and the historical association of the villages with Telangana. The five gram panchayats, Yatapaka, Kannaigudem, Pichukalapadu, Purushothapatnam and Gundala, were transferred to Andhra Pradesh under the AP Reorganisation Act.

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According to the Minister, the transfer created administrative challenges for both States and difficulties for local residents. He also requested Andhra Pradesh to consider the proposal during its district boundary reorganisation exercise. However, there has been no progress on the issue.

Instead, new disputes have emerged. Telangana has objected to the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposed Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project, which aims to divert 200 tmc of surplus Godavari floodwater to the Rayalaseema region.

While Andhra Pradesh maintains that the project utilises surplus floodwater, Telangana argues that it violates inter-State water-sharing arrangements and could affect its rightful share.

The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has also alleged that Andhra Pradesh is illegally drawing Tungabhadra water through the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS). It further claimed that plans to construct bridge-cum-barrages across the Krishna and Bheema rivers could affect the water requirements of the Palamuru region.

Adding to the political debate, the Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh held a closed-door meeting with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at Hospet on June 25. The BRS has demanded that Revanth Reddy disclose the details of the meeting, but no information has been released so far.