Hyderabad: A heated exchange of words took place between irrigation officials from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the controversial Godavari–Banakacharla project during the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting in Hyderabad on Monday.
Telangana officials strongly objected to Andhra Pradesh proceeding with the project without proper water allocations or required approvals from the Central agencies. In response, Andhra Pradesh officials maintained that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project is still under preparation.
The meeting was chaired by GRMB Chairman A K Pradhan and attended by Telangana Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja and AP Engineer-in-Chief (Water Resources) Venkateshwara Rao. Both sides made firm arguments defending their respective positions on the Banakacharla project, which aims to address the severe water crisis in drought-hit Rayalaseema by diverting 200 TMC of floodwater from the Godavari River.
The Telangana officials questioned the GRMB Chairman over the board’s inaction in updating information regarding letters sent by the Union Jal Shakti Ministry over the last six months. They accused the AP government of not providing necessary project details despite repeated requests. Telangana also demanded that Andhra Pradesh disclose the potential impact of the project on its territory.
The Andhra Pradesh officials informed the board about DPR’s status and ongoing efforts to secure permissions from central agencies such as the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Telangana countered by questioning the legality of initiating a multi-crore project without approvals or the consent of co-basin states sharing the Godavari waters.
The meeting also saw discussion on complaints of alleged harassment by GRMB Secretary R. Azhagesan. Both states urged the Chairman to take immediate action against the Secretary. Officials noted that women employees had already lodged complaints, but no action had been taken so far.
