Minister Uttam Vows To Intensify Battle Against AP’s Illegal Banakacharla Project

·         We will fight tooth and nail for Telangana’s rightful share of water: Uttam Kumar Reddy

·         Uttam Kumar Reddy cites Union Minister C.R. Patil’s letter endorsing Telangana’s stand

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is intensifying its fight against Andhra Pradesh’s proposed Godavari-Banakacharla Link Scheme, determined to protect Telangana’s water rights and uphold the law.

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In an informal interaction with media persons at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat on Friday, Irrigation, Food & Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that he had written multiple letters to the Centre, exposing serious violations by Andhra Pradesh and demanding immediate intervention.

In his detailed letter dated 22 January 2025 to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that Andhra Pradesh is pushing ahead with the Banakacharla project to divert floodwaters from the Godavari River to Rayalaseema, especially to a proposed 150 TMC reservoir at Bollapalli in Guntur district. He pointed out that the project was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh during a press conference and PowerPoint presentation on 29 December 2024, but without submitting a Detailed Project Report (DPR) or seeking any mandatory approvals.

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He stressed that Andhra Pradesh had failed to obtain technical clearances from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and from the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the Apex Council, as mandated under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA) 2014. “No project on inter-state rivers can proceed without these approvals. Andhra Pradesh is brazenly bypassing all statutory mechanisms,” he wrote.

Uttam Kumar Reddy accused Andhra Pradesh 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 cannot 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 any project proceeds.

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He warned that Andhra Pradesh’s project violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980, which apportioned 966 tmcft to Telangana out of a total of 1,486 tmcft. He cautioned that Andhra Pradesh is trying to grab unquantified and unallocated “flood waters” that belong to both 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 wrote.

Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that Andhra Pradesh had neither shared any proposal with the Telangana government nor provided any DPR or plans for scrutiny by the relevant boards. He noted that despite Andhra Pradesh’s multiple letters to the Union Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking funds, no DPR had been sent, and the ministries had merely forwarded Andhra Pradesh’s letters to technical bodies like the GRMB, KRMB, and the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) for comments. “This is not due process. It’s an attempt to mislead the Centre and push the project without scrutiny,” he charged.

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Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil responded to Uttam Kumar Reddy’s letter on 28 May 2025, acknowledging that no detailed proposal had been received from Andhra Pradesh. Patil assured that once a proposal is submitted, the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the CWC would examine it strictly as per guidelines, tribunal awards, inter-state agreements, and the APRA 2014, and take appropriate action.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also highlighted how the previous BRS government failed to safeguard Telangana’s interests. He pointed out that during the united Andhra Pradesh era, Telangana’s rightful share was 724 tmcft, but the BRS government signed agreements that reduced Telangana’s share to 299 tmcft while allocating 512 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh. “This betrayal laid the groundwork for the current situation,” he stated.

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He alleged that during the BRS regime, water diversions from the Krishna basin intensified at Mucchumarri and Malyala, with the government failing to block the projects or even approach the Apex Council, despite Rayalaseema project tenders being finalised. “This shows the secret pact between Jagan and KCR. They have worked together to deprive Telangana of its water,” he charged. He said the BRS government did not even attempt to stop works at Mucchumarri, allowing Andhra Pradesh to divert 3 tmcft of Krishna water every day, severely impacting Telangana’s drought-prone districts. “KCR’s government actually helped Andhra Pradesh loot Telangana’s water,” he alleged.

Uttam Kumar Reddy accused BRS leaders of now pretending to fight for Telangana’s water rights while being complicit in past injustices. “They are acting like Goebbels Rao, repeating lies to cover up their betrayal,” he remarked sarcastically. “Even Goebbels himself would be shocked at the level of false propaganda they are spreading.”

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He called on Union Ministers Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay to stand with Telangana and press the Centre to enforce the law strictly. “Telangana will continue this battle until every drop of its rightful share is secured. We will not back down,” he declared.

The Telangana government reiterated that all water-sharing projects must comply with tribunal awards, interstate agreements, and the APRA 2014, and demanded that the Centre immediately halt any attempts by Andhra Pradesh to proceed with the Banakacharla project without following the law.

Uttam Kumar Reddy reaffirmed that no proposal had yet been received from Andhra Pradesh but assured that Telangana would examine any future proposals carefully. “The Centre is not expected to support Andhra Pradesh illegally,” he said. “We will fight tooth and nail for Telangana’s rightful share of water. We will not back down.” (Maxim News)

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