HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday requested Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil to accord immediate clearance to long-pending irrigation projects in the Godavari and Krishna river basins.
Uttam met the Union minister in Delhi and urged him to resolve the issues related to Telangana projects and also ensure that the state gets its rightful share in Krishna and Godavari waters. “The water rights of Telangana should be protected,” the minister told Patil.
Uttam said that the Union government should provide financial assistance for several projects in Telangana that are nearing completion under central schemes.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project has already been submitted to the Central Water Commission, Uttam said and sought required permissions for the same.
“Out of the proposed 90 tmcft for Palamuru-Rangareddy LIP, immediate approval should be granted for the first phase, involving 45 tmcft under minor irrigation savings,” he told Patil.
“Objections raised with regard to Sammakka Sagar project have already been addressed, so approvals should be given immediately,” he added.
Water redistribution
Uttam also said that the Centre should take initiative to ensure that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II completes its hearings on water redistribution between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh at the earliest. Although the tenders called for preparing the DPR for the Polavaram-Banakacherla project were cancelled, Andhra Pradesh may take up the same project under a different name, Uttam alleged and added that the Centre should protect the rights of Telangana in Godavari waters.
Stating that the upper riparian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra are asserting their share with regard to floodwater diversion from Godavari, Uttam said that if those states divert water citing Andhra Pradesh’s floodwater transfers, it will harm the interests of Telangana.
The Centre must stop Andhra Pradesh’s attempts to divert floodwaters from Polavaram, the Irrigation minister told Patil.
Despite a Supreme Court stay, Karnataka is trying to construct the Almatti dam height up to 524.25 metres. The Union government should restrain Karnataka from proceeding further, he said.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana — Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, the Centre should extend support for the completion of various projects in Telangana, he added.