Uttam Demands Centre Reject AP's Banakacharla Project
Uttam Kumar Reddy also demanded that Patil “direct the Central Water Commission to reject the PFR of this scheme,” and initiate necessary action to prevent the government of AP from submitting DPR to the CWC, and stop AP from taking any further action including calling and awarding tenders.
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has demanded that the Union Government immediately reject the pre-feasibility report (PFR) of the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Project proposed by Andhra Pradesh, block submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), and halt any move to call or award tenders related to the scheme.
In a strongly worded letter to Jal Shakti minister C.R. Patil, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the project violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award of 1980 and the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 provisions. The project poses a direct and unacceptable threat to Telangana’s rightful share of river waters, he said in the letter dated June 13, 2025, that was released on Saturday to the media.
He said AP was reportedly asked to submit a DPR for the project at a June 2 meeting with top Union finance and Jal Shakti ministry officials in Delhi. This, he said “is a matter of grave concern” and indicates “that the underlying PFR of this scheme is deemed to have been approved.”
Reiterating Telangana’s rejection of the Godavari-Banakacharla project, Uttam Kumar Reddy called it a “direct assault on Telangana’s legal entitlements and a dangerous violation of inter-state protocols. Allowing such a project would undermine the equitable and judicious management of interstate river waters and will set a precedent contrary to the statutory framework and natural justice.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy also demanded that Patil “direct the Central Water Commission to reject the PFR of this scheme,” and initiate necessary action to prevent the government of AP from submitting DPR to the CWC, and stop AP from taking any further action including calling and awarding tenders.
The minister has also in the past made it clear to the Centre Telangana’s opposition to the project and had written to Patil, and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, drawing their attention Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s efforts to push the project through in a clandestine manner.
Responding to Harish Rao’s allegations, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government acted swiftly and decisively on the matter. “When the AP Chief Minister wrote to the Centre seeking funds, I immediately raised formal objections with both the Union Jal Shakti and finance ministers on January 22, 2025. Again on June 13, I demanded the rejection of the PFR, stoppage of DPR, and halting of tenders. Telangana Congress didn’t stay silent—we initiated the legal and institutional fight from day one,” he said.
