HYDERABAD: The state government has once again requested the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to restrain Andhra Pradesh government from taking up any kind of activity related to Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP).
The government has urged the CWC to intervene to stop AP from going forward with land survey, calling/awarding of tenders.
Telangana Irrigation Engineer-in-Chief (General) Mohd Amjad Hussain in a letter has requested the CWC chairman not to undertake appraisal of the proposed project as it would be in violation of the provisions of the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 and Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award.
The ENC recalled that the state government has written several letters raising objections to the project proposed by AP and requested for action as per provisions of APR Act, 2014 and restrain the neighbouring state from taking this proposal forward.
In the letter, he referred to Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy’s earlier request to the minister of Jal Shakti urging rejection of the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of PBLP circulated by the CWC and the plea for granting ToR in the upcoming meeting of EAC.
The ENC recalled that the state government already informed the CWC and Jal Shakti that the AP’s proposal would infringe water rights of Telangana besides creating adverse back-water and cascading submergence affects, and requested it not to undertake any appraisal of the link project.
Hussain said, despite this, the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources department has issued a tender notification on October 6 for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) as per CWC guidelines, including required investigations and job works for obtaining clearance from CWC for an amount of Rs 9.20 crore.
The ENC in his letter to Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) stated that the proposed PBLP envisages extensive changes in the dimensional features of components of Polavaram project and violates the CWC approvals accorded in consonance with GWDTA provisions.
Further, the PPA also explicitly stated that the diversion of additional 200 tmcft water is not part of the approved DPR of Polavaram project and contravenes the operation schedule of Polavaram dam as envisaged, the ENC said.
