Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that the project violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal of 1980 and the AP Reorganization Act of 2014.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government is stepping up efforts to stop Andhra Pradesh from going ahead with the Godavari-Banakacharla link project, which Telangana maintains is illegal and, if allowed by the Centre, will severely harm Telangana’s river water share and interests.
As part of these efforts and to seek the cooperation of all MPs from the state — particularly the two Union Ministers from Telangana, G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar — Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday extended an invitation to them, as well as to all other MPs from Telangana, for a presentation on the project at the Secretariat on Thursday.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the meeting at his office at 4 p.m. on Thursday will also be attended by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who will be the chief guest, while Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar will be the guests of honour. The meeting is aimed at discussing further steps and finalizing the way forward, and suggestions will be sought from all MPs from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, Uttam Kumar Reddy said in a press release.
The Telangana Irrigation Minister said the project taken up by Andhra Pradesh appears to violate the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (1980) and the AP Reorganisation Act (2014) provisions. He said Telangana is opposed to the project and recalled that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and he had met Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil in New Delhi on June 3 and conveyed Telangana’s objections. He also recalled Revanth Reddy’s letter to Patil on the same day highlighting these objections.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that earlier this January, he had written to Patil and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman about Telangana’s objection to the Godavari-Banakacharla project, and followed up again earlier this month, expressly informing the Jal Shakti Ministry of Telangana’s opposition.
