Latest news with #GodavariWaterDisputesTribunal-1980
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Reject pre-feasibility report on river linking: T'gana CM to Centre
Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday appealed to Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil to reject the pre-feasibility report of the Godavari-Banakacharla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government seeking to divert Godavari waters to the Krishna basin, an official statement read. The chief minister, along with state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy met with the union minister, apart from Union secretary Debashree Mukherjee and other senior officials of the ministry at Shramshakti Bhavan in Delhi. An official statement from the chief minister's office (CMO) said Revanth Reddy briefed the union minister about how the Godavari-Banakacharla project was against the interests of Telangana state. He said the Andhra Pradesh government was taking up the project in contravention of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal-1980 (GWDT) and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The chief minister said though the Andhra Pradesh government was claiming that the project was based on flood waters of Godavari, there was no mention of flood waters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980. Reddy reminded that according to the 2014 AP Reorganization Act, if a new project is to be built in any state, it must first be discussed and approved by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Apex Council headed by the Union Jal Shakti minister and the chief ministers of the two states. 'Andhra Pradesh violated all these important issues and was proceeding with efforts to construct the project,' he complained and appealed to the Centre to stop all works being undertaken as part of the Godavari-Banakacharla project. Revanth Reddy also told Patil that the Telangana government was ready for talks to discuss lifting of water to Penna basin by linking Icchampally – Nagarjuna Sagar, which will be funded by Centre, instead of Polavaram – Banakacharla, if Andhra Pradesh really believes there was any flood water in river Godavari. He also explained to the union minister about the change of Polavaram designs as per the GDWT -1980 regulations and works being carried out in violation of the environmental clearances despite objections being raised. He requested the union minister that the central government should pay attention to ensuring no violation of regulations took place while constructing the Polavaram national project. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said it was not proper on the part of the Telangana government to create hurdles in his government's attempt to utilise flood waters of Godavari, which was otherwise going waste into the sea. Speaking to reporters at Amaravati, Naidu said both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were utilising Godavari waters as per their requirements. 'In fact, except Polavaram major irrigation project, all the other projects built by the two states had no permission from the Centre,' he said. He said Andhra Pradesh had never objected to the Telangana constructing projects on Godavari river like Kaleshwaram which is in violation of the tribunal award. 'There is plenty of water in Godavari and no project will affect the interests of other states. Any disputes can be resolved through dialogue across the table,' Naidu said.
Hans India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Banakacharla project: TG lodges plaint with Jal Shakti Minister against AP
New Delhi/Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday lodged a complaint with Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil against Andhra Pradesh and warned of legal action if the AP government failed to halt the controversial Banakacharla project. During the meeting with the Union Minister, the Chief Minister requested him to reject the pre-feasibility report of the Godavari-Banakacharla project proposed by the AP government. He asserted that the proposed Banakacharla project was against the interests of Telangana and that AP envisaged the project contrary to the provisions of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal-1980 (GWDT) and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act-2014. The Chief Minister pointed out that AP claimed the Banakacharla project would utilize flood waters of Godavari, but there was no mention of flood waters or surplus waters in GWDT-1980. According to the 2014 AP Reorganization Act, if a new project is to be built in any of the two states, it must first be discussed and approved by the Godavari River Management Board, the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Apex Council headed by the Jal Shakti Minister and the Chief Ministers of the two states, CM Revanth Reddy pointed out and added that AP violated all these important aspects and was going ahead with the project. The AP government's claim that it undertook the project based on flood waters was wholly objectionable because no such rule was permitted, the Chief Minister said. Further, Revanth Reddy brought to the notice of CR Patil that AP took up Purushothapatnam, Venkatanagaram, Pattiseema and Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Projects under Polavaram by utilizing flood waters without obtaining permission from the Technical Advisory Board in the CWC and claimed no violation of the regulations in the construction of the Polavaram project. Revanth Reddy and Uttam Kumar Reddy also told CR Patil that the Telangana government was ready for talks to discuss lifting of water to Penna basin by linking Icchampally–Nagarjuna Sagar, which could be funded by the Centre, instead of Polavaram–Banakacharla, if the AP really believed that there was flood water in the Godavari. They also pleaded with the Union Minister to ensure that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 verdict was issued soon. The Jal Shakti Minister was requested to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for Telangana to utilize 1,000 TMC of water from river Godavari and 500 TMC of Krishna water -- a total of 1500 TMC -- with the approval of the Union government. Stating that 1,500 TMC of water would provide irrigation to 1.50 crore acres in Telangana, the Chief Minister said that his government would not oppose the AP projects if their demands were met. The Chief Minister decried that the Centre was granting permissions to the projects taken up by the Andhra Pradesh government expeditiously, while neglecting Telangana's projects. He requested the Centre to grant all permissions, along with water allocations, to the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, Sammakka-Sarakka and Thummidihetti projects. Allocation of central funds to the Musi rejuvenation project was also discussed at the meeting. The Chief Minister appealed to Patil to consider the state government's request for funds and release them just as the Centre supported Ganga and Yamuna cleaning projects. Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Union Minister responded positively to the requests made by the CM and him. The Union Minister also clarified that his ministry had not received the DPR related to Banakacharla and assured that the Apex Council meeting would be held soon.
United News of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Telangana govt urges Centre to stall Banakacharla project proposed by AP govt
Hyderabad/ New Delhi, June 19 (UNI) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy today urged the Union government to stall the Godavari-Banakacharla Project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government, which they said is against natural justice and the interests of Telangana. The CM reiterated to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil that they will not compromise on the interests of Telangana under any circumstances and will try to resolve the issue amicably through all platforms. The CM made it clear to the Union Minister that if the Centre's response was not favorable, the state government will approach the Supreme Court. Revanth and Uttam, who who met Jal Shakti Minister Patil in New Delhi, appealed to him to reject the pre-feasibility report (PFR) of the project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government and to "ensure that justice and truth prevail". Besides the Union Minister, they also met Secretary of the Union ministry Debashree Mukherjee and other senior officials at Shramshakti Bhavan in the national capital today. Briefing the Jal Shakti Minister, the Chief Minister and his colleague Minister said that the Banakacharla project was against the interests of Telangana state. They explained how the Andhra Pradesh government was taking up the project in contravention of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal-1980 (GWDT) and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Chief Minister brought to the attention of the Union Minister the various concerns raised by the people and farmers of Telangana over the way the Union Finance Ministry and the Environment Ministry are handling the Banakacharla project approvals. The CM informed CR Patil that AP claimed that it proposed the Banakacharla project based on flood waters of Godavari, but the truth is that there is no mention of flood waters or surplus waters in the GWDT-1980. According to the 2014 AP Reorganization Act, if a new project is to be built in any state, it must first be discussed and approved by the Godavari River Management Board, Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Apex Council headed by the Jal Shakti Minister and the Chief Ministers of the two states, CM Revanth Reddy pointed out. "Andhra Pradesh violated all these important issues and was proceeding with efforts to construct the project," he complained. The AP government's claim that it undertook the project based on flood waters was strongly objectionable because there was no rule-basis for such an argument, the CM added. Taking serious note of all these issues, Chief Minister Revanth and Minister Uttam appealed to the Union minister to immediately intervene in this matter and stop all works being undertaken as part of the Banakacharla project. Further, the CM and irrigation minister informed CR Patil that AP has undertaken Purushothapatnam, Venkatanagaram, Pattiseema and Chintalapudi lift irrigation projects under Polavaram by using flood waters without obtaining permission from the Technical Advisory Board in the CWC. CM Revanth Reddy explained to Union minister Patil about the change of the Polavaram designs as per the GDWT -1980 regulations and works being carried out in violation of the environmental clearances despite objections being raised. The CM requested the Union Minister that the Central government should pay attention to ensuring that no violation of regulations takes place while constructing the Polavaram national project. The CM also told CR Patil that the Telangana government was ready for talks to discuss lifting of water to Penna basin by linking Icchampally–Nagarjuna Sagar, which will be funded by the Centre, instead of Polavaram–Banakacharla, if Andhra Pradesh really believes there is any flood water in river Godavari. The CM also pleaded with the Union Minister to ensure that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 verdict is issued soon. UNI KNR RN
