Hyderabad, June 6 (UNI) Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt.
N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday strongly opposed the proposed Banakacharla project, warning that Telangana will not accept any move that violates inter-state water agreements or constitutional provisions.
Speaking informally to the media at the State Secretariat, the Minister said the project is in direct contravention of the rules laid down by the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), Central Water Commission (CWC), and the Apex Council.
Calling Banakacharla a threat to Telangana’s water rights, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, “This project violates the inter-state river water sharing policy. Telangana will not accept it under any circumstances.”
He said the Telangana government had already conveyed its objections to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman through a formal letter and had also written to Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil on January 22.
“We have not received any official proposal from Andhra Pradesh yet. If we do, we will examine it strictly in line with the law,” he said, adding that CR Patil had written to Telangana in May, assuring that all steps would be taken under legal norms.
“We’ve explained AP's violations in detail through our representations. I don’t believe the Centre will support Andhra Pradesh in doing something illegal,” the Minister asserted. “If injustice is done to Telangana, we will fight it relentlessly—we will not compromise on our water rights.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy also urged Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar to intervene and ensure that the Centre does not act against Telangana’s interests. He criticised the previous BRS government for what he termed a decade of cooperation with Andhra Pradesh, even as Telangana was facing injustice in Krishna river water sharing.
“Telangana's rightful share from the combined Andhra Pradesh is 724 TMC, yet during the BRS regime, 1,254 TMC was diverted to Andhra Pradesh,” he claimed. “If the BRS government had not wasted Rs 68,000 crore on the Kaleshwaram project by building it at Medigadda instead of Tummidihatti, all Krishna basin projects would have been completed by now.”
He further alleged that BRS failed to stop the Muchumarri project, and described the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme as a “death sentence” for Telangana. “It’s true that the KCR government supported the daily transfer of 3 TMC to Andhra Pradesh. KCR's alliance with former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy helped Andhra Pradesh exploit Krishna water at Telangana’s cost,” he said.
According to the Minister, more water was diverted through Muchumarri and Mallepalli during KCR’s tenure than in the combined Andhra Pradesh period. He also alleged that the Telangana government intentionally avoided raising objections in the Apex Council until the Rayalaseema project tenders were finalised, as part of a “secret pact” between KCR and Jagan.
Hitting back at BRS leaders, he accused them of spreading “blatant lies” about Banakacharla. “They have stooped so low that they could change their names to 'Goebbels Rao'. If Goebbels were alive today, he would be surprised—they’ve surpassed even him in spreading falsehoods,” he said sarcastically.
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