HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Monday withdrew its writ petition in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the proposed Polavaram–Banakacherla/Polavaram–Nallamalasagar link projects, after the apex court raised questions over its maintainability.
The court granted the state liberty to file a fresh civil suit under Article 131 of the Constitution and disposed of the petition.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the matter. During the proceedings, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Telangana, contended that the AP government was blatantly violating existing statutes and tribunal awards by diverting Godavari waters.
We’ll soon file civil suit in apex court, says Uttam
The bench, however, observed that the relevant tribunal award also involved Karnataka and Maharashtra, which were not impleaded as parties to the writ petition. Responding to the court’s concern, Singhvi informed the bench that the state would withdraw the petition and file a civil suit shortly, adding that the draft was almost ready.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was present during the hearing, later told reporters that the Telangana government would not compromise on protecting the state’s water rights.
He reiterated that a civil suit would be filed in the Supreme Court under Article 131 at the earliest.
While stating that the government would respect the Supreme Court’s suggestion for mediation, Uttam Kumar Reddy made it clear that Telangana would not remain silent in the face of any action that infringed upon its rights. He reiterated the state’s resolve to safeguard its entitlements in both the Krishna and Godavari river basins.
The minister asserted that Andhra Pradesh is entitled to only 484 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of Godavari water, and that utilisation of even an additional one TMC would amount to a violation of established water-sharing norms. He further alleged that the Andhra Pradesh government was raising unwarranted objections and creating obstacles to the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project.
Govt filed legally flawed petition, alleges Harish
Meanwhile, BRS leader and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s ‘’deceptive tactics’’ and “betrayal mindset” was thoroughly exposed before the Supreme Court, accusing the government of deliberately filing a legally flawed petition challenging the Polavaram-Nallamalasagar Link Project solely to facilitate Andhra Pradesh government’s illegal construction activities.
“In the past, the AP government successfully stalled our Palamuru-Rangareddy project by encouraging farmers to file writ petitions and obtaining stay orders. Yet, our state Congress government here has intentionally filed a petition that lacks basic legal jurisdiction. This was not a mistake; it was a calculated move to surrender Telangana’s rights,” Harish Rao alleged.
“Did a legal luminary like your MP, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, not know that such a petition would not be maintainable? Was he not consulted? Or was this done on purpose?,” Harish Rao questioned.