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Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh CMs to attend Centre's meeting on water issues
The Union Jal Shakti Minister, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu will be attending a meeting on water issues being facilitated by the Centre on Wednesday. The meeting is initiated by the Union Jal Shakti Minister, C R Patil. The meeting, scheduled for 2.30 pm, holds significance against the backdrop of renewed tensions between the two states over water sharing, particularly following Andhra Pradesh's announcement of the Polavaram-Banakacherla project. Both the Chief Ministers have previously expressed their willingness to resolve the issue through dialogue. Earlier on Wednesday, Telangana Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government in Telangana would persist with its legal, technical, and administrative battle to reclaim the state's rightful share of Krishna river waters. He accused the previous BRS regime of betraying Telangana's long-term interests by compromising with Andhra Pradesh, allowing large-scale water diversion, engineering failures, and financial mismanagement. According to a statement, the Minister delivered two detailed PowerPoint presentations at Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan - one on the illegal diversion of Krishna River waters to Andhra Pradesh and the other on the disastrous consequences of relocating the originally sanctioned Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi (PCSS) project to Medigadda under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. The first presentation highlighted how the BRS regime, during its 10-year rule from 2014 to 2023, failed to protect Telangana's entitlement to Krishna waters and even facilitated illegal infrastructure development by Andhra Pradesh to divert water from the Srisailam reservoir. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Andhra Pradesh's diversion of Krishna water to outside-basin areas surged from 245.3 TMC between 2004-05 and 2014 to 1,192.44 TMC between 2014-15 and 2023-24, due to the expansion of the Muchumarri Lift Irrigation Scheme and the creation of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS). "These projects enhanced AP's drawal capacity from the Srisailam reservoir to 11 TMC per day." He pointed out that these works were undertaken without Central Water Commission (CWC) clearance or Apex Council approval, in clear violation of the AP Reorganisation Act. Despite being fully aware, the BRS government failed to raise objections with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) or the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, thus compromising Telangana's rightful share. He stated that the previous Telangana government accepted unjust water-sharing ratios, initially agreeing to a 299:512 TMC formula in 2015 and later to a 34:66 ratio in 2017-18, which remained in effect until 2020. He alleged that the BRS government even wrote to KRMB stating that the 34:66 formula should continue "since no other basis exists". He referred to a letter written by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to the Union Jal Shakti Minister on March 3, 2025, demanding a reversal of the unfair ratio and reinforcing Telangana's demand for a 71% share - 575 TMC out of the 811 TMC originally allotted to undivided Andhra Pradesh, based on basin parameters like catchment area, population, drought-prone area, and cultivable land. Final arguments under Section 3 of the ISRWD Act, 1956, are underway before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II), and the Congress government has decided to back its claims with strong technical and legal evidence. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
No let-up in our battle for rightful share in Krishna waters: Telangana minister Uttam
HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said that the government would persist with its legal, technical and administrative battle for Telangana's rightful share in Krishna river waters. He accused the previous BRS regime of betraying Telangana and compromising on its long-term interests, allowing large-scale water diversion by Andhra Pradesh, engineering failures and financial mismanagement. The minister made two detailed PowerPoint presentations at Praja Bhavan — one on the illegal diversion of Krishna river waters to Andhra Pradesh and the other on the disastrous consequences of shifting the originally sanctioned Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi (PCSS) project to Medigadda under the Kaleshwaram project. The first presentation highlighted how the BRS regime, during its 10-year rule from 2014 to 2023, failed to protect Telangana's entitlement to Krishna waters and even facilitated illegal infrastructure development by Andhra Pradesh to divert water from the Srisailam reservoir. He said AP's diversion of Krishna water to outside-basin areas surged from 245.3 tmc between 2004-05 and 2014 to 1,192.44 tmc between 2014-15 and 2023-24, due to the expansion of the Muchumarri Lift Irrigation Scheme and the creation of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS). These projects increased AP's drawal capacity from the Srisailam reservoir to 11 tmc per day. The minister pointed out that these works were undertaken without clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC) or Apex Council's approval, in clear violation of the AP Reorganisation Act. Despite being fully aware, the BRS government failed to raise objections with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) or the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, thus compromising Telangana's rightful share. He said the previous government accepted unjust water-sharing ratios, first agreeing to a 299:512 tmc formula in 2015 and later to a 34:66 ratio in 2017-18, which continued until 2020. He alleged that the BRS government even wrote to KRMB stating that the 34:66 formula should continue 'since no other basis exists'. The Congress government, Uttam said, has now officially rejected that stance and submitted project-specific allocations to the Tribunal. These include 90 tmc for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), 50 tmc for Kalwakurthy LIS, 40 tmc each for Nettempadu LIS and SLBC, 20 tmc for Bhima LIS and 15 tmc for Dindi LIS.
India Gazette
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
"BRS gave away our water to Andhra, we are bringing it back": Telangana Minister Uttam Reddy on Krishna River rights
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 9 (ANI): Telangana Irrigation, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the Congress government in Telangana would persist with its legal, technical, and administrative battle to reclaim the state's rightful share of Krishna river waters. He accused the previous BRS regime of betraying Telangana's long-term interests by compromising with Andhra Pradesh, allowing large-scale water diversion, engineering failures, and financial mismanagement. According to a statement, the Minister delivered two detailed PowerPoint presentations at Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan - one on the illegal diversion of Krishna River waters to Andhra Pradesh and the other on the disastrous consequences of relocating the originally sanctioned Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi (PCSS) project to Medigadda under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. The first presentation highlighted how the BRS regime, during its 10-year rule from 2014 to 2023, failed to protect Telangana's entitlement to Krishna waters and even facilitated illegal infrastructure development by Andhra Pradesh to divert water from the Srisailam reservoir. Uttam Kumar Reddy said Andhra Pradesh's diversion of Krishna water to outside-basin areas surged from 245.3 TMC between 2004-05 and 2014 to 1,192.44 TMC between 2014-15 and 2023-24, due to the expansion of the Muchumarri Lift Irrigation Scheme and the creation of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS). 'These projects enhanced AP's drawal capacity from the Srisailam reservoir to 11 TMC per day.' He pointed out that these works were undertaken without Central Water Commission (CWC) clearance or Apex Council approval, in clear violation of the AP Reorganisation Act. Despite being fully aware, the BRS government failed to raise objections with the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) or the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, thus compromising Telangana's rightful share. He stated that the previous Telangana government accepted unjust water-sharing ratios, initially agreeing to a 299:512 TMC formula in 2015 and later to a 34:66 ratio in 2017-18, which remained in effect until 2020. He alleged that the BRS government even wrote to KRMB stating that the 34:66 formula should continue 'since no other basis exists.' The Congress government, Uttam Reddy said, has now officially rejected that stance. He referred to a letter written by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to the Union Jal Shakti Minister on March 3, 2025, demanding a reversal of the unfair ratio and reinforcing Telangana's demand for a 71% share--575 TMC out of the 811 TMC originally allotted to undivided Andhra Pradesh, based on basin parameters like catchment area, population, drought-prone area, and cultivable land. Final arguments under Section 3 of the ISRWD Act, 1956, are underway before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II), and the Congress government has decided to back its claims with strong technical and legal evidence. Uttam Kumar Reddy further added that Andhra Pradesh was able to increase its withdrawal capacity through unauthorised expansion of Muchumarri LIS from 0.85 TMC/day to 3 TMC/day by adding nine pumps, and RLIS from 3 TMC/day to 8 TMC/day, again by installing nine pumps, taking total drawal capacity to 11 TMC/day. These expansions enabled AP to draw water far beyond its share, and the BRS government's silence allowed these violations to become operational realities. He also reminded that Andhra Pradesh had taken up other unauthorised projects like Telugu Ganga, GNSS, HNSS, and Veligonda after the 1976 KWDT-I award, while Telangana's projects remained neglected. He said that the BRS regime played a complicit role in allowing AP to proceed with RLIS tenders by deliberately stalling the Apex Council meeting proposed by the Centre in October 2020. Instead of attending the meeting and raising objections, the then Telangana government raised procedural hurdles and delayed its participation, creating a window of opportunity for Andhra Pradesh, which issued RLIS tenders on October 5, 2020. By the time Telangana responded, Andhra had already secured administrative and technical momentum, which the BRS failed to challenge, further weakening Telangana's legal case. The Congress government, Uttam said, has submitted project-specific allocations to the Tribunal. These include 90 TMC for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), 50 TMC for Kalwakurthy LIS, 40 TMC each for Nettempadu LIS and SLBC, 20 TMC for Bhima LIS, and 15 TMC for Dindi LIS. These projects are vital for Telangana's drought-prone and fluoride-affected regions, and their allocations had been left pending due to the BRS government's failure. To ensure accountability and transparency, the Congress government has already released funds for telemetry systems to monitor water withdrawals in real-time and has re-initiated the process of securing CWC approvals. Turning to the Kaleshwaram issue, the Minister launched a scathing critique of the BRS decision to abandon the PCSS project and instead take up the Kaleshwaram project. He said that the original PCSS project had received in-principle approval from the CWC, with assured water availability of 165 TMC at 75 percent dependability. It was designed to irrigate 16.4 lakh acres across seven districts through a gravity-lift combination with modest power requirements. By 2014, Rs 11,679 crore had already been spent, and the project was eligible for 80 percent Central assistance under the AIBP scheme. Public hearings had been held, statutory clearances secured, and even KCR had written to the Centre seeking national project status. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that despite the project not being fully operational, the Congress government has achieved record Yasangi crop production, indicating that efficient management can yield tangible results even from poorly designed assets. He added that the government will rehabilitate the Kaleshwaram project with a positive mindset, following NDSA recommendations and in consultation with CWC-vetted engineers. The government has decided to redesign the barrages, enforce dam safety norms strictly, and ensure that no water is stored in structurally unsound structures, as this could endanger 44 villages and even Bhadrachalam town. He asserted that the decision to shift from Tummidihatti to Medigadda was taken without any logical or rational basis, and the reasons given by the BRS leadership did not withstand scrutiny. 'The NDSA is a recognised national authority of experts. Their advice is more credible than any political statement made by former Ministers like Harish Rao,' he said. He added that inefficiency, negligence, and corruption were the hallmarks of the BRS government's irrigation decisions. Uttam Kumar Reddy said, 'Instead of strengthening a ready-to-go project with central support, the BRS government created a white elephant. Telangana is now paying the price for that disastrous decision. But this government is committed to rebuilding what they destroyed.' He also condemned BRS leaders for running what he called a 'Goebbels-style propaganda campaign' against the Congress government, despite being directly responsible for Telangana's irrigation and financial crisis. 'This is not just a technical or legal matter,' he said. 'It is a fight for justice-for Telangana's farmers, its economy, and its future.' (ANI)
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BRS' arrogance led to collapse of Kaleshwaram project: Uttam
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised the previous BRS govt, blaming its arrogance and corruption for the collapse of the Kaleshwaram project and the irreversible damage caused to the state's financial and irrigation systems. "If construction was taken up at Tummidihatti, this situation would never have arisen," he said. Speaking to the media in Huzurnagar on Saturday after a detailed review of development works in Huzurnagar and Kodad, the minister said, "Tummidihatti, designed by the Congress under the Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi project with an estimated cost of ₹38,000 crore, was deliberately set aside by the BRS govt because they did not want the Congress to get credit. Instead, they shifted the plan to Medigadda and launched Kaleshwaram, lured by commissions. " He said the Kaleshwaram cost was suddenly inflated to ₹1.2 lakh crore from the original ₹38,000 crore. "Just because commissions were not coming their way, they dumped a viable project and took up an unnecessary, faulty one. And the result is in front of us—the same Kaleshwaram collapsed under their own tenure," he said, terming it a textbook case of greed and misgovernance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning For Working Professionals. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo Uttam said if the Congress' original Tummidihatti plan was completed with ₹38,000 crore, the remaining ₹62,000 crore could have been used to complete several pending irrigation projects across Telangana. "Projects such as Palamuru-Rangareddy, Koilsagar, Bhima, Nettempadu, Kalwakurthy, SLBC, Dindi, Devadula, Gouravelli, and Sitarama—all could have been completed. Telangana would have become lush and agriculturally self-sufficient," he asserted. The minister said that due to the misadventures of the BRS govt, the state now has to repay ₹16,000 crore every year, including interest. "These loans have now become a generational burden and will haunt us for the next three generations," Uttam said. He asserted that the judicial probe headed by Justice PC Ghose is fully transparent and unbiased. "The commission is functioning independently and lawfully. Whatever action is taken will be based on the commission's findings and the people's mandate," he said, reiterating the govt's commitment to accountability.
