HYDERABAD: BRS leader and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao on Saturday questioned Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s “silence” on the Banakacherla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Speaking to reporters here, Harish Rao said the concerns raised earlier by the BRS about the “illegal” Banakacherla project are now turning out to be true. “This project, being constructed by Andhra Pradesh, is poised to become a grave threat to Telangana,” he said.
“The AP government, with the active cooperation of the BJP at the Centre, is moving ahead by clearing all hurdles to the project’s execution. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Telangana government are behaving as if nothing is happening, silently supporting AP’s actions,” he added.
Harish Rao said that Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil wrote a letter to CM A Revanth Reddy, clearly stating that the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the Banakacherla project is under techno-economic appraisal and the approval process is underway.
“Nearly 20 days have passed, yet Revanth Reddy has not opposed it. Instead of questioning how a DPR can be based on floodwaters, something prohibited by CWC norms, he remains silent. Why this silence? Are commissions or contracts involved? Does Revanth Reddy have a personal stake in this,” Harish Rao asked.
He said that Maharashtra too submitted a strongly worded letter, opposing the use of floodwater for the project and warning that if AP is allowed to proceed, it too will seek to construct projects and stop 74 tmcft of Krishna water. “It also plans to use diverted floodwater for the drought-prone Vidarbha region. Telangana is now caught between AP and Maharashtra taking Godavari water and Karnataka blocking Krishna water,” he said.
Despite this, the AP government issued a Rs 9 crore tender for the preparation of the Banakacherla DPR, he claimed.
“The Congress government, instead of opposing the Banakacherla project, remains mute. Even when Godavari and Krishna waters are being diverted or blocked, no minister from Telangana spoke about it and the silence is deafening and dangerous,” he said.
