Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil to reject the pre-feasibility report of the proposed Godavari–Banakacharla project by the Andhra Pradesh government, citing that it goes against the interests of Telangana. During a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday, Revanth Reddy, along with State Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, alleged that the project violates the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) award of 1980 and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014. They met with Union Water Resources Secretary Debashree Mukherjee and other senior officials to formally present Telangana’s objections to the project.
The Telangana delegation raised concerns over Andhra Pradesh’s proposal to divert Godavari floodwaters through the Banakacharla project, stating that flood or surplus waters were not recognized under the GWDT framework. The ministers also highlighted growing public unrest in Telangana over the manner in which the Union finance and environment ministries were handling project approvals. CM Revanth emphasised the need for the Centre to intervene immediately and halt progress on the project.
Following the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy informed the media that Minister Paatil had responded positively to Telangana’s requests, confirmed that the DPR for the project had not been received, and assured that an Apex Council meeting would be convened soon to deliberate on the issue.