Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy announced on Wednesday that the state would approach the Supreme Court to stop the Godavari-Banakcharla link project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government. The project proposes a system to divert water from the Godavari river to the Krishna basin from Polavaram.
Speaking to reporters after an all-party MPs meeting, Reddy said that the state government would appoint legal experts who specialised in water agreements to fight the legal battle.
“We will take all measures to protect the interests of Telangana. We have also decided to pass a resolution in the state assembly opposing the Godavari-Banakacharla project and send it to the Centre. We will fight this battle unitedly, involving all parties,” the chief minister said.
Reddy blamed Andhra Pradesh’s decision to go ahead with the project on the previous Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) regime, led by K Chandrashekhar Rao. “In October 2019, KCR and then-Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had held discussions on diverting Godavari waters to the Rayalaseema region. The foundation for the Godavari-Banakacharla project was laid during that meeting,” he said.
He recalled that KCR had promised to support the diversion of Godavari waters to Rayalaseema. “During the apex council meeting of Union Jal Sakthi ministry held on September 21, 2016, KCR had stated that 3,000 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of Godavari water was going to waste into the sea every year and that it should be harnessed to provide irrigation to the parched Rayalaseema region,” pointed out the chief minister.
He said that the records of the Apex Council clearly documented what was said by whom. “At the time, ministers from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh told the media that discussions had taken place about diverting Godavari water to Rayalaseema,” added the CM.
Regardless of politics, Revanth Reddy said, there would be no compromise when it comes to farmers’ interests. He said he had held discussions with opposition parties on how to proceed with the Banakacharla issue.
Reddy added that there would be no compromise on issues of farmers’ interests, regardless of politics.
BRS Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra, who attended the all-party meeting, objected to Reddy’s statements and clarified that KCR had spoken keeping Telangana’s interests at the time in mind.
“KCR had only stated there was no objection to diverting Godavari waters to Krishna river, while providing irrigation to the parched lands in Telangana enroute,” he said, and also alleged that the meeting was held with a politically motivated agenda.
The all-party MPs’ meeting, held at the state secretariat, was attended by state irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Congress MPs, Renuka Chowdhury, Mallu Ravi, P Balaram Naik, Suresh Shetkar, Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy, Chamal Kiran Kumar Reddy, Anil Kumar Yadav, Raghuram Reddy; BJP MPs D K Aruna and M Raghunandan Rao, BRS MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
