HYDERABAD: Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil assured a Telangana delegation led by CM A Revanth Reddy that a meeting of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Chief Ministers would soon be held to discuss the proposed Godavari-Banakacherla project.
The Union Minister assured that justice would be done to Telangana irrigation projects.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, called on CR Patil in Delhi on Thursday and had a one-hour detailed discussion over the AP's G-B project.
Speaking to reporters later, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the State government would also take a legal recourse against the AP's project, if necessary.
Uttam Kumar contended that the Centre was according permissions only to AP projects, whereas several projects of Telangana were pending. He sought funds from the Centre for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation and other projects of Telangana.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, however, suggested that Godavari water could be diverted to Penna basin through the Ichampally-Nagarjun Sagar link, as proposed by the Centre under river linking projects.
The Telangana government convened an all-party MPs meeting on Wednesday on the G-B project, which was proposed by the AP government with an initial estimated cost of around Rs 80,000 crore to divert 200 tmcft Godavari water from Polavaram to Penna basin, via Krishna basin.
The contention of Telangana is diversion of huge quantities of Godavari waters by the AP would be detrimental to the interests of the Telangana farmers. The Telangana delegation also told CR Patil that G-B project did not have any required clearances from the Apex Council, the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) or the Central Water Commission (CWC), as mandated by the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.