River Water Disputes: AP Says One Thing, Does Another, Says Uttam

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu may speak about AP and Telangana sorting out river water sharing issues through dialogue and discussions, but “there is a difference to what they say, and do.”

He said the reality “is AP has objected to our Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS), and all other projects of Telangana on Krishna and Godavari rivers before the Central Water Commission.”

Uttam Kumar Reddy was responding to a question from reporters outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Chandrababu Naidu’s call for discussions on river water sharing. His comment came in the wake of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy last Friday saying that the Telangana government would rather resolve inter-state water-sharing disputes with Andhra Pradesh through dialogue and mutual understanding rather than prolonged court litigations.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said: “We are also taking legal steps to protect our water rights under our CM Revanth Reddy’s leadership. There are blatant violations by AP of provisions in the AP Reorganisation Act which make it clear that no change in scope of the Polavaram project will be allowed. Only the Centre as per APRA provisions can authorise any clearance for the Polavaram project.”

“Telangana is opposed to AP’s project and will fight it in every forum, and approach the Supreme Court by filing a civil suit as the court suggested. It is part of the efforts to seek directions to the Centre to not give any permissions and clearances to AP and stop AP from taking up the Polavaram-Nallamalasagar project,” Uttam Kumar Reddy added.