VISAKHAPATNAM: HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday clarified the State government’s stand on the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS), stating that the stay on the project was imposed in 2020, when the YSRCP was in power.
Addressing the media in Visakhapatnam, he said some groups were attempting to revive interstate water disputes for political reasons and it was misleading to portray the stay order as a recent development.
Lokesh affirmed the present NDA government’s plans involve lifting surplus Godavari water after it enters Andhra Pradesh’s territory, and diverting it towards Rayalaseema. He reiterated that there was no intention to obstruct any project taken up by Telangana.
The HRD Minister noted that thousands of TMC of floodwater flows into the sea every year, and said the government is examining ways to utilise this surplus for drought-prone regions. He remarked that while States often contest even a single TMC of water, large quantities are going unused during peak flows.
Explaining the broader scope of the proposal, Lokesh said lifting excess floodwater could benefit not only Andhra Pradesh but the wider southern region, including the possibility of supplying water to Tamil Nadu through the Telugu Ganga project. He also recalled that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had earlier criticised the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme as a “waste,” but continued to operate it throughout his five-year term. He stressed this underlining the importance of using available water resources efficiently rather than politicising long-standing projects.