HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said that the Godavari-Banakacherla project, proposed by the government of Andhra Pradesh, directly violates Sections 85(8)(d) and 90 of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Making a PowerPoint presentation on the project during a meeting of MPs from all parties, the minister said: “It alters the operational schedule of the Polavaram National Project and violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award, which mandates consultation with all co-basin states before modifying inter-basin transfers. Further, the proposal ignores Telangana’s entitlement to 968 TMC of assured Godavari waters and unlawfully seeks to establish Andhra Pradesh’s ‘prescriptive rights’ over surplus waters through infrastructure-driven fait accompli.”
The project, if executed, would cause severe submergence and backwater flooding in upstream Telangana districts, he added. The minister warned that sacred sites like the Bhadrachalam temple along with the Manuguru heavy water plant and numerous habitations between Dummugudem and the Telangana-AP border would face frequent flash-flood risks due to disruption in natural drainage and congestion of tributaries.
Citing Clause VI (iii) of the GWDT final order, he pointed out that it clearly states that any change in the operation schedule must be done only after consultations with Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha — a condition that, he said, was blatantly ignored by AP.
The Rs 81,900-crore project, Uttam explained, seeks to divert 200 tmc of Godavari floodwaters from the Polavaram reservoir to the Penna basin via Krishna, through a three-segment engineering design involving 417 km of open canals, pipelines, tunnels and nine power-intensive lift stations.
It proposes to irrigate 7.41 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilise another 22.59 lakh acres of existing command areas in drought-prone Rayalaseema and adjoining regions. The proposed daily drawal from Polavaram is three tmcft, with a massive power requirement of 3,792 MW — and all of this without consent from Telangana, a co-basin state, he added.
No environmental clearance
Uttam also pointed out the environmental and administrative failures of the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP). “The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), which is the statutory agency to oversee Polavaram-related activities, has not cleared the proposal. No Environmental Clearance (EC) or Terms of Reference (ToR) has been granted, and the Central Water Commission (CWC), in a 2018 report, had stated that there is no surplus water at Polavaram at 75 per cent dependability. Yet, Andhra Pradesh continues to present the scheme as ‘floodwater diversion’, misleading the Centre and violating both technical and legal norms,” he said.
The Irrigation minister also said that while Telangana’s legitimate projects were being obstructed, the unlawful project of Andhra Pradesh was progressing on a “war footing”.
He accused the AP government of forming a Special Purpose Vehicle — Jala Harathi Corporation — to hasten tendering and financial mobilisation, all without mandatory inter-state consultation.
Tracing Telangana’s resistance to the project, Uttam detailed the sustained efforts undertaken by the government over the past several months. The timeline began in November 2024 when the Andhra Pradesh chief minister first wrote to the Union finance minister seeking Rs 78,039 crore as a special package for the PBLP. This was followed by a renewed demand in December under the Swarnandhra 2047 vision, pushing the total request to Rs 80,112 crore.
In response, the Telangana government immediately began lodging formal objections, starting with a letter to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) in early January.
On January 22, Uttam wrote to both the Union Jal Shakti and Finance ministries, warning that the project would breach the APRA and GWDT Award and demanded denial of financial assistance. Two days later, the Principal Secretary of Irrigation addressed the CWC and GRMB to formally request that AP be restrained from proceeding further. On March 3, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Uttam personally met the then Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and handed over a letter, requesting immediate intervention.
Even after Andhra Pradesh issued a GO on April 8 for the formation of the SPV, Telangana escalated objections. During a May 14 meeting with the GRMB chairman, Revanth once again raised concerns, followed by further communications to the Centre on May 28, June 11, June 13 and June 16. These letters opposed the pre-feasibility report (PFR), questioned the Ministry of Finance’s role, and urged the Ministry of Environment not to grant any ToR.
BRS walkout
Meanwhile, as Revanth Reddy was addressing the MPs of all parties, BRS MP V Ravichandra walked out of the meeting stating that it has been converted into a political meeting.
When the chief minister cited former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s statement that 3,000 tmcft water was available in Godavari during an Apex Council meeting and claimed that AP was taking up the Banakacherla project based on this statement, Ravichandra walked out, stating that he is boycotting the meeting.
CM questions Kishan’s integrity
Criticising Union minister G Kishan Reddy, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy: “His integrity is questionable. He skipped this crucial meeting, citing prior commitments, but found time to meet CR Patil secretly in Delhi. Kishan Reddy is indirectly aiding the BRS and betraying the people,” he alleged.
Revanth said BJP MPs DK Aruna and Raghunandan Rao had expressed support for the government on the matter during the meeting. He further stated there was no Cabinet approval for the Kaleshwaram project.
“During the BRS regime, 96 Cabinet meetings were held. None approved Kaleshwaram. Only revised estimates were discussed. We have complete documents and will submit a full report with evidence to Justice PC Ghose Commission by June 30,” he said.
G-B project will be evaluated as per existing norms, Patil assures Kishan
Hyderabad: Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil reiterated that the Godavari-Banakacherla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government will be evaluated as per the existing norms of the ministry. Patil stated this when the Union Coal & Mines Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy met him in Delhi. He further stated that the project evaluation would be conducted in a fair manner after consulting all stakeholders. He also said that the Union government will ensure that no injustice is done to any state in this regard.
Uttam made a presentation at KCR’s behest, alleges Arvind
Hyderabad: Claiming that Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy made a PowerPoint presentation during an all-party meeting on AP’s proposed Godavari-Banakacherla project under the directions of BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, BJP MP Dharmapuri Arvind called it diversionary tactics adopted by the Congress government in view of the upcoming local body polls.
Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he described Uttam as a “half-BRS and half-Congress” leader. Arvind said Uttam failed to respond to his questions when the latter called for an all-party meeting. “The Irrigation minister has no idea about the Godavari-Banakacherla project,” he added.