VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh water resources officials strongly pitched for an amendment to the existing environmental clearances of Telugu Ganga Project (TGP), Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi (GNSS) and Srisailam Right Branch Canal (SRBC) to include Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) at the 14th Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) meeting of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) held on Wednesday.
The officials answered all the queries regarding various aspects of the RLIS, which is an integral part of the aforementioned three projects, raised by the 15-member committee, and the outcome is likely to be known after the minutes of the meeting are revealed in about a week’s time. According to information, a presentation was made to the committee on the dire necessity to go ahead with the project by Chief Engineer (Projects, Kurnool) R Muralinatha Reddy.
The officials also took to the committee’s notice as to how AP’s contention of needing to take up a supplemental scheme to the existing projects in Rayalaseema stands vindicated with the ongoing unilateral actions of the Telangana government. Sources said that the committee had queries on the potential effect on eco-sensitive zone in TS, but the officials informed that the project was 20 km away and hence there was no question of implications on forest lands.