Centre to Convene Telangana, AP CMs Meet on Banakacharla Project

Hyderabad: The Central government has agreed to convene a meeting between Chief Ministers A. Revanth Reddy of Telangana and N. Chandrababu Naidu of Andhra Pradesh to deliberate on the contentious Godavari-Banakacharla link project being taken up by Andhra Pradesh. Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil conveyed this assurance to Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy when they met him in New Delhi on Thursday.

During the hour-long meeting, Patil assured the Telangana delegation that a tripartite meeting involving the Chief Ministers of the two states would soon be organised to facilitate discussions and arrive at an amicable resolution regarding the Banakacharla project.

Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy firmly opposed the Banakacharla project, stating it contravened both the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) award of 1980 and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. They accused AP of proceeding unilaterally, without securing mandatory approvals from the Central Water Commission (CWC), Godavari River Management Board and the Apex Council, chaired by the Jal Shakti Minister and the CMs of the two states.

Revanth Reddy expressed serious concerns over the Union finance and environment ministries granting clearances to the Banakacharla project, which AP claims was based on flood waters of the Godavari. Revanth Reddy pointed out that the GWDT award does not mention “flood waters” or “surplus waters” as legal categories for allocation.

Highlighting repeated violations, Revanth Reddy said the AP government had taken up several irrigation projects such as Purushothapatnam, Venkatanagaram, Pattiseema and Chintalapudi, under the Polavaram scheme using Godavari floodwaters without approvals from the technical advisory committee of the CWC. He also flagged environmental violations in the redesign and construction of the Polavaram project, urging the Centre to intervene and uphold the regulations.

Revanth Reddy proposed an alternative, linking Icchampally to Nagarjunasagar with Central funding to divert water to the Penna basin, instead of proceeding with the Banakacharla link. He asserted that this plan would benefit both states if AP was genuinely concerned about floodwaters from the Godavari.

Additionally, he pressed for a swift verdict from the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II and warned that if Telangana’s concerns were ignored, the Telangana government would not hesitate to approach the Supreme Court.

Revanth Reddy also sought a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Telangana from the Centre and AP to utilise 1,500 TMC ft of water, which includes 1,000 TMC ft from the Godavari and 500 tmc ft from the Krishna, to irrigate 1.5 crore acres in Telangana. He assured that Telangana would not object to AP’s projects if its own water demands were recognised and approved.

Accusing the Central government of bias in expediting project approvals for AP while neglecting Telangana’s proposals, Revanth Reddy demanded clearances and water allocations for Palamuru-Rangareddy, Sammakka-Sarakka and Thummidihatti projects. He also appealed for Central funding for the Musi River rejuvenation project on par with the Ganga and Yamuna clean-up initiatives. Senior officials, including Union Jal Shakti Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, were present.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Union Minister Patil had responded positively and clarified that the detailed project report (DPR) for Banakacharla had not yet been submitted to the ministry. He confirmed that the Apex Council meeting would be held soon and reiterated Telangana’s offer of non-objection to AP’s plans, provided AP reciprocates by granting Telangana the right to use 1,500 tmc ft of river water. “When it comes to protecting Telangana’s interests, there will be no niceties,” he added.

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What Telangana wants

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy presses for a swift verdict from the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II.

If Telangana’s concerns were ignored, the state government would approach the Supreme Court.

No-objection certificate (NOC) to Telangana from the Centre and AP to utilise 1,500 tmc ft of water — 1,000 tmc ft from the Godavari and 500 tmc ft from the Krishna, to irrigate 1.5 crore acres.

Clearances and water allocations for Palamuru-Rangareddy, Sammakka-Sarakka and Thummidihatti projects.

Central funding for the Musi rejuvenation project is at par with the Ganga and Yamuna clean-up initiatives.