8 hours ago
Godavari-Banakacharla project: Uttam calls for all-party MPs' meet today; BJP, BRS members may skip
Hyderabad: Amid growing political slugfest between the government and the opposition parties, state Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy called an all-party MPs meeting on Godavari Banakacharla project at Secretariat on Wednesday. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy would attend the meeting as chief guest.
Though the minister claimed he invited union ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay along with BJP MPs to the meeting, sources said that the ruling national party's Lok Sabha members and also the union ministers are likely to skip the meeting. The three Rajya Sabha MPs from BRS will also be absent.
Uttam said that the state government prepared an action plan to exert pressure on the union government against the Banakacharla project and stall the works. The all party meeting is being convened to seek the other party views and opinions to intensify the fight against Andhra Pradesh.
He recalled that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had already raised objections on behalf of the Telangana State Government on this project when he met Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil in New Delhi in June. The Union Minister responded and clarified that his ministry has not yet received DPR related to the Godavari-Banakacharla Link Project and assured that he will review taking into account the existing guidelines in water allocation, tribunal judgments, inter-state agreements and the 2014 Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. He also cited the demand that the Central Water Commission should withhold the approvals related to this project.
