Latest news with #PolavaramIrrigationProject
The Hindu
02-08-2025
- The Hindu
17 lorries, 4 earthmovers seized in raids on illegal clay excavation in East Godavari
Officials from the Irrigation, Revenue, and Mines Departments conducted coordinated raids on Saturday at multiple locations in Rajanagaram mandal, East Godavari district, following complaints about illegal excavation and transportation of clay deposited for the Left Main Canal (LMC) works of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. Acting on information provided by locals, the teams simultaneously inspected three locations along the LMC alignment. The raids led to the seizure of 17 lorries and four earthmovers allegedly involved in the unauthorised collection and transport of clay intended for the ₹1,200 crore canal project. In an official statement, Assistant Director of Mines D. Phanibhushan Reddy confirmed the seizures and said that an investigation is underway into the illegal activities. The LMC works, which are part of the critical Polavaram project, are currently progressing at a brisk pace.
New Indian Express
23-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
AP Lokayukta protects rights of Polavaram displaced families
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayukta have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting citizens' rights by ensuring justice for families displaced by the Polavaram Irrigation Project. Upa-Lokayukta P Rajani issued a landmark order in response to complaints filed by Nallala Venkata Ramanamma and Nallala Seshagiri. The complainants alleged exclusion from the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) benefits despite residing in Kummari Lova village in Tuni mandal, an area formerly part of East Godavari district, now in Kakinada district. Following the Lokayukta's action, the Project Administrator and ex-officio Joint Collector of the Polavaram Irrigation Project at Dowleswaram confirmed the inclusion of the complainants in the supplementary draft R&R scheme. Each complainant received Rs 6.36 lakh and an additional Rs 25,000 in entitlements, along with house site plots. The government sanctioned Rs 9.5 crore to extend relief to other displaced families in the village. The institution's oversight and follow-up ensured accountability and timely resolution, leading to the official closure of the complaints.
The Hindu
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Row over river waters deepens, State seeks opinion of MPs on A.P. proposal
The State government will seek inputs from all Members of Parliament (MPs) from Telangana before finalising its stance on the Godavari-Banakacherla project proposed by Andhra Pradesh. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday announced that a meeting with MPs from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, cutting across party lines, will be held at his office at the Secretariat here on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will be the chief guest at the meeting, which will also be attended by Union Ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar. Mr. Uttam Reddy said the State has urged the Centre to reject the pre-feasibility report of the Godavari-Banakacherla project, which is currently being reviewed by the Central Water Commission (CWC) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. A presentation on the project is expected during the meeting, following which suggestions and feedback from the MPs will be invited. Meanwhile, BRS senior leader and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao has urged Mr. Uttam Reddy to press Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil to immediately convene an Apex Council meeting to address what he called a violation of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. Mr. Uttam Reddy rejected Mr. Rao's claim that Telangana would gain 112.5 tmc ft of Krishna water if 80 tmc ft is diverted to the Krishna Delta through the Polavaram project. He called the suggestion 'absolutely wrong' and said it would severely harm Telangana's water rights and interests. He also urged Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to reject Andhra Pradesh's request for Terms of Reference for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project. He accused the A.P. government of repeatedly violating environmental clearances and tribunal allocations, warning that such actions are not only detrimental to riparian principles but also legally untenable. In a letter sent on Monday, Mr. Uttam Reddy alleged that A.P. has made massive and unauthorised alterations to components of the PIP in both the Krishna and Godavari basins. He said these changes exceed the scope permitted under the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award and the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Committee.
Hans India
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam urges Centre to bin AP's proposal for ToR for Polavaram
Hyderabad: State Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav urging the ministry to reject the proposal for Terms of Reference (ToR) sought by Andhra Pradesh for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP). The minister alleged that the AP government's actions represent consistent violations of environmental clearances and tribunal allocations, calling them detrimental to riparian interests and legally untenable. In his letter on Monday, Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that Andhra Pradesh has carried out massive deviations in both the Krishna and Godavari basins by enlarging the scope of several components of the PIP, in violation of the permissions accorded by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award (GWDTA) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). He recalled that the Polavaram project originally received Environmental Clearance from MoEF under letter No. J-12011/74/2005-IA-1 dated October 25, 2005. However, the Andhra Pradesh government later implemented extensive changes without obtaining fresh clearance, prompting the Ministry to issue a 'Stop Work Order' on February 8, 2011. Although the order was issued due to the unapproved changes in the project's scope, it was kept in abeyance and has been repeatedly extended, most recently until July 2, 2026. This allowed the works to continue despite objections raised not only by Telangana but also by Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The Minister further pointed out that the Polavaram project, after being granted 'National Project' status by the Government of India, continues to receive reimbursement of expenditures, but only for components that were approved under the original scope. 'Yet the AP government has proceeded with major infrastructural modifications,' he wrote. Uttam Kumar Reddy referred to the Supreme Court's order dated September 6, 2022, which clearly observed that 'there are some technically reports available but more may be required depending on the expansion of the project. Similarly, the issue of the environmental clearances would also have to be addressed.' The Court had also suggested that the Minister of Jal Shakti and MoEF&CC play a pioneering role by convening a meeting of all stakeholders to resolve the contentious issues. In his communication, the Minister warned that AP has gone far beyond the approved project parameters. 'The connectivity to draw water from the head sluice of the Polavaram Right Main Canal (PIPRMC) is now being designed for 40,000 cusecs, while the original design was for 20,000 cusecs. Twin tunnels, each with a discharge capacity of 20,000 cusecs, are under execution, and the infrastructure at the headworks has already been created accordingly,' he pointed out. The Minister strongly urged the ministry not to undertake any appraisal of the Andhra Pradesh government's project proposal in the forthcoming meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). 'In view of all the above, especially in the interest of justice, it is requested to not to undertake any appraisal of this project proposal and outrightly reject the grant of ToR in the upcoming meeting of EAC,' he concluded.
The Hindu
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Uttam urges Centre not to allow modifications to Polavaram
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has written to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav urging the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to reject the proposal for Terms of Reference (ToR) sought by Andhra Pradesh for the modified Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP). He alleged that the AP government's actions represent consistent violations of environmental clearances and tribunal allocations, calling them detrimental to riparian interests and legally untenable. In his letter on Monday, Mr. Uttam stated that Andhra Pradesh has carried out massive deviations in both the Krishna and Godavari basins by enlarging the scope of several components of the PIP, in violation of the permissions accorded by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award (GWDTA) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). He recalled that the Polavaram project originally received Environmental Clearance from MoEF under letter No. J-12011/74/2005-IA-1 dated October 25, 2005. However, the Andhra Pradesh government later implemented extensive changes without obtaining fresh clearance, prompting the Ministry to issue a 'Stop Work Order' on February 8, 2011. Although the order was issued due to the unapproved changes in the project's scope, it was kept in abeyance and has been repeatedly extended, most recently until July 2, 2026. This allowed the works to continue despite objections raised not only by Telangana but also by Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The Minister further pointed out that the Polavaram project, after being granted 'National Project' status by the government of India, continues to receive reimbursement of expenditures, but only for components that were approved under the original scope. 'Yet the AP government has proceeded with major infrastructural modifications,' he wrote. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy referred to the Supreme Court's order dated September 6, 2022, which clearly observed that 'there are some technical reports available but more may be required depending on the expansion of the project. Similarly, the issue of the environmental clearances would also have to be addressed.' The Court had also suggested that the Minister of Jal Shakti and MoEF&CC play a pioneering role by convening a meeting of all stakeholders to resolve the contentious issues. In his communication, the Minister warned that AP has gone far beyond the approved project parameters. 'The connectivity to draw water from the head sluice of the Polavaram Right Main Canal (PIPRMC) is now being designed for 40,000 cusecs, while the original design was for 20,000 cusecs. Twin tunnels, each with a discharge capacity of 20,000 cusecs, are under execution, and the infrastructure at the headworks has already been created accordingly,' he pointed out. He added that the PIPRMC is being executed with a drawal capacity of 17,560 cusecs against the DPR-approved 11,654 cusecs. Similarly, the Polavaram Left Main Canal (PIPLMC) is being constructed with the same 17,560 cusecs capacity, though only 8,123 cusecs were originally approved. He stressed that these changes in drawal capacities and the 'extensive alterations in the dimensional features of the project components' amount to a complete redesign of the project, undertaken without requisite clearances or approvals. The Minister strongly urged the MoEF&CC not to undertake any appraisal of the Andhra Pradesh government's project proposal in the forthcoming meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). 'In view of all the above, especially in the interest of justice, it is requested not to undertake any appraisal of this project proposal and outrightly reject the grant of ToR in the upcoming meeting of EAC,' he concluded.
