Latest news with #Polavaram
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana urges MoJS Secretary not to take up appraisal of PBLP
HYDERABAD The Telangana government has requested the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) not to undertake appraisal of pre-feasibility report of the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) since it is in violation of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award, Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and Polavaram Project Authority, infringing upon the water rights of Telangana. When the Environmental Clearance granted to the Polavaram project itself has issues of violation and a case is pending in the Supreme Court, which had directed the Centre on September 6, 2022 to address the issues by calling for a meeting of all the stakeholders, it would not be in the interests of natural justice if appraisal of PBLP is taken up, Principal Secretary (Irrigation) of Telangana Rahul Bojja said in a five-page letter addressed to the MoJS Secretary Debashree Mukherjee. He noted that Telangana Minister for Irrigation Uttam Kumar Redddy had requested Union Minister of Jal Shakti to direct the Central Water Commission to reject the PFR under review and also objected to the stand of Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance, at the June 2 meeting with the AP officials to submit the detailed project report. Mr. Uttam Reddy also wrote to the Minister of Environment and Forests not to take up the appraisal of PBLP. Besides, letters were also addressed by authorities of the Irrigation Department to MoEF and PPA. Listing out the comments of Telangana on the PFR, the Principal Secretary stated that PBLP contemplates stabilisation of 9.14 lakh hectares (nearly 22.59 lakh acres) and new ayacut of another 3 lakh hectares (over 7.41 lakh acres), all in the Krishna and Penna Basins in Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra regions. He brought to the MoJS Secretary's notice that there is no clause in the GWDT Award for allocating floodwater among the basin States. Further, he noted, it is explicitly stated that if there is to be any change in the operation schedule as indicated in the inter-State agreement it shall be made only after consultation with the States of erstwhile AP (now Telangana), Chhattisgarh and Odisha, as the PBLP contemplates diversion of 200 tmcft water from Polavaram project and it would require changes in the operation protocol of the project – changes scope of the project too.
New Indian Express
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Resolve Telangana-Andhra Pradesh river water issues: Irrigation Minister Uttam to Centre
HYDERABAD:Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday demanded that the Union government intervene and resolve the pending problems between AP and Telangana in Krishna and Godavari river basins. He also sought funds for Telangana's Icchampally project on par with AP's Polavaram. In a letter to Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil, Uttam said that the Centre should also accord permissions to the pending irrigation projects. The irrigation minister said that Telangana has not received clearances for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme. The Centre should also recommend environmental clearances for these two projects, he demanded. Uttam said that due to the inordinate delay in construction of irrigation projects, the drought-hit farmers could not get the desired results on time. 'If these projects are accorded the required permissions, the state would get Union government grants, financial aid from NABARD and also loans from the financial institutions with lower interest rates,' Uttam explained in his letter. 'Telangana proposed to utilise 45 tmcft water, saved in minor irrigation components, for Palamuru-Rangareddy project,' Uttam said and added that another 45 tmcft was allocated to Palamuru, which Telangana got additionally above Nagarjunasagar, due to the diversion of Godavari waters to Krishna basin by AP. He recalled that the undivided AP received approval for Dindi LIS in 2007 and it also sent a proposal to the Prime Minister's Office, seeking national project status as well as assistance to mitigate the fluorosis problem.
New Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Andhra takes up measures to get project clearance for Polavaram-Banakacherla
VIJAYAWADA: In the wake of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) returning the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) proposal, the Andhra Pradesh government is undertaking a series of proactive measures to obtain project clearance. The authorities were of the opinion that the proposal, which sought only the Terms of Reference (ToR), was unjustly returned, as it was not requesting final approval but merely a framework for further evaluation. It is learnt that the Water Resources Department had already submitted the proposal of PBLP to the Central Water Commission (CWC) even before the EAC had recommended it, while returning the proposal to the State. The EAC instructed AP to resolve interstate disputes and secure CWC clearance before resubmitting. Unresolved submergence concerns in Odisha and Chhattisgarh tied to the Polavaram project, which are still under judicial review. Sources in the government disclosed that the State is actively engaging with the Central government to reverse the EAC's decision while simultaneously working to resolve differences with Telangana to clear obstacles for PBLP. The project aims to divert 200 TMC of Godavari floodwater to irrigate 7.41 lakh acres, stabilise 22.58 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and south coastal districts, and supply industrial water.
Hans India
12-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
With double engine sarkar, AP's development is galloping: Bandi
Tirupati: 'With the double engine Sarkar, Andhra Pradesh State is witnessing rapid development overcoming its crisis,' stated Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Speaking at a meeting held on the completion of 11 years of the Narendra Modi-led government, here on Wednesday, the Union Minister claimed that Andhra Pradesh is now receiving maximum financial support from the Centre because the same alliance NDA is ruling both at the State and Centre. Giving detailed account on the liberal support from the Centre, he said about Rs 54,000 crore, including Rs 22,000 crore through bonds, Rs 15,000 crore from World Bank, Rs 12,000 crore from HUDCO and Rs 5,000 crore from German Bank were sanctioned for Amaravati. PM Modi during his recent visit to Vizag, initiated Rs 2 lakh crore development initiatives State-wide, he added. Similarly, Modi also initiated Rs 15,000 crore worth development works under Amaravati reconstruction programme. Regarding Vizag steel plant, Rs 11,444 crore were sanctioned to help the steel plant overcome its losses and achieve normal functioning, he informed. Sanjay said after the Modi government came to power for the third time, the Centre released Rs 12,157 crore under Polavaram project advance funds. Further, under the national industrial corridor development programme (NICDP), Rs 28,602 crore plan was approved to set up 12 industrial estates in Vorvakal and Kopparthi areas. Air services commenced in Kurnool airport and also in Kadapa under Udan scheme covering 17 new air routes in the State. He also said that road facilities are being improved in a big way in the State with Rs 14,000 crore including Bengaluru - Kadapa - Vijayawada express highway and Anantapur – Pendurthi - Anakapalli national highway extension construction works, which were recently inaugurated by PM Modi. The Union Minister said the State got a record-level development in railways with the Centre allocating Rs 9,417 crore in 2024-2025 budget, which is 11 times higher than the Rs 886 crore provided by the Congress government in 2009-2014. Bandi Sanjay planted saplings in police parade grounds after receiving a guard of honour from the district police. Party leaders Bhanu Prakash Reddy, Samanchi Srinivas, Munisubrahmanyam, Gundala Gopinath, P Chandra Sekhar and others were present.
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Uttam vows to intensify battle against AP's ‘illegal' Banakacherla project
HYDERABAD The Telangana government will intensify its determined fight against the Polavaram (Godavari)-Banakacherla (Krishna-Penna) Link Scheme proposed by Andhra Pradesh to protect Telangana's river water rights,, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy Reddy said on Friday. He stated that the State Government had written multiple letters to the Centre already highlighting the serious violations by AP and demanding immediate intervention. In a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on January 22, he had explained how AP was going ahead with the Banakacherla project to divert Godavari water to Rayalaseema and South Coastal Andhra by proposing a 150 tmc ft capacity reservoir at Bollapalli in Guntur district. In an informal interaction with the media, he pointed out that the project was unveiled by AP during a press conference on December 29 last year without submitting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) or seeking any mandatory approvals. He stressed that AP had not obtained technical clearances from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and approvals from the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Apex Council, as mandated by the AP Reorganisation Act 2014. 'No project on inter-state rivers could proceed without these approvals. AP is brazenly bypassing all statutory mechanisms,' Mr. Reddy said and accused AP of misusing Sections 46(2) and 46(3) of the APRA 2014 to seek funds from the Union Finance Ministry under the backward regions development clause. He made it clear that these sections could not override Part IX of the Act, which deals with inter-state river water management, requiring technical clearance, inter-state consultations and Apex Council approval before proceeding with any project. He noted that AP's project was also violating the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980, which apportioned 966 tmc ft water to Telangana out of a total of 1,486 tmc ft. Mr. Reddy alleged that AP was trying to grab unquantified and unallocated 'flood waters' that belong to both the States. 'These so-called 'flood waters' are not extra water that AP can claim. They are subject to equitable sharing and any diversion directly impacts Telangana's drought-prone regions', he said adding that he had mentioned all these aspects in his letters too. Stating that AP had neither shared any proposal with Telangana nor provided any DPR for scrutiny by the relevant boards. He noted that AP had not sent the project's DPR along with its multiple letters to the Union Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking funds and termed it an an attempt to mislead the Centre and push the project without scrutiny. He also faulted the previous Bharat Rashtra Samith (BRS) Government for keeping quiet on the Rayalseema Lift Irrigation Project and expansion of the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (PRP). Harish Rao's counter Meanwhile, BRS leader and former minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao rebutted Mr. Uttam Reddy stating that it was the BRS Government that had secured a National Green Tribunal (NGT) stay order on RLIP and it was the Telangana Congress leaders who had kept quiet when late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had expanded the capacity of PRP four times officially in 2007.
