HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Saturday made it clear that it will take part in meetings of the committee set up by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to examine water issues between the two Telugu states only if work related to the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the Polavaram–Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) and the Polavaram–Nallamalasagar Link Project (PNLP) is stopped.
The committee’s first meeting is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on January 30.
In a letter to the Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Principal Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja said Telangana would participate in the committee’s deliberations only if the preparation of DPRs for the two projects, what it termed “illegal construction” by Andhra Pradesh, and the appraisal of the projects’ pre-feasibility reports by the Central Water Commission (CWC) were halted immediately.
The letter stated that the government had already rejected the inclusion of these projects in the agenda of the committee meetings. It said Andhra Pradesh was proceeding with construction activity and DPR preparation in violation of the Ministry’s instructions, and added that Telangana had moved the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the CWC appraising the projects in breach of its own guidelines.
Bojja’s letter said Telangana had nominated its members to the committee with the objective of resolving other pending water-related issues between the two states.
It alleged that the Union government had delayed the constitution of the committee despite repeated requests, and that none of the outstanding river water-sharing issues had been resolved so far. Telangana, it added, had written to the Ministry on December 23 proposing its nominees.
The Jal Shakti Ministry had recently constituted the committee to address water sharing and management issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The panel has been asked to examine outstanding concerns in a technical manner and suggest solutions for equitable and efficient water sharing. It has been given three months to submit its report.
The decision to form the committee followed a meeting held on July 16, 2025, chaired by Union Minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil, with the chief ministers of both states in attendance. The CWC chairman heads the committee, with four senior officials from each state as members.