- Rayalaseema Lift Project claim disputed by Andhra Pradesh
- Rayalaseema Lift Project halt not linked to Telangana pressure
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday rejected Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s claim that the NDA government halted the Rayalaseema Lift Project at his request. The Andhra Pradesh government termed the remarks “factually incorrect and misleading,” and said the project suspension had no link to political pressure from Telangana.
The Telugu Desam Party led government issued a clarification after Revanth Reddy made the statement in the Telangana Legislative Assembly. He spoke while replying to a debate on a short discussion on Krishna waters. The Andhra Pradesh government said there was no truth in the claim that the project was stopped at the request of Revanth Reddy or out of respect by Chandrababu Naidu.
Earlier, Revanth Reddy told the Assembly that he had brought pressure on Chandrababu Naidu and the Central government to stop the Rayalaseema Lift Project. He also claimed that he told Chandrababu Naidu he would discuss inter state issues only if Andhra Pradesh stopped the project. According to him, the project was drawing three TMC of water every day. He further offered to send a fact finding committee with leaders from all parties, including the BRS, to verify whether the project had stopped.
However, the Andhra Pradesh government strongly rejected these assertions. It said the suspension of the Rayalaseema Lift Project had nothing to do with decisions taken by the present NDA government. It added that the reasons were administrative and legal, not political.
The government pointed out that during the tenure of former Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, the project was taken up without mandatory statutory approvals. It said works began despite the absence of clearances. At that time, there was large scale publicity claiming that three TMC feet of water per day would be supplied to Rayalaseema.
Meanwhile, the government recalled that the Telangana government had challenged the project during the previous regime. It said Telangana filed cases in courts and lodged complaints with the Centre and the National Green Tribunal. Following these complaints, authorities examined the issue and ordered a halt due to lack of permissions. The government noted that in 2020 itself, the NGT and the Union government issued directions, and the Centre stopped the works well before Chandrababu Naidu assumed office in 2024.
The Andhra Pradesh government also alleged that political forces in Telangana were trying to gain mileage by running state politics in a “Chandrababu-centric” manner. It said there would be no compromise on water rights or irrigation benefits for Rayalaseema. It added that all facts, with documents, would soon be placed in the public domain.
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