HYDERABAD

Former minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T. Harish Rao has accused the Congress Government of compromising on Telangana’s water rights by linking the proposed Godavari–Nallamalasagar project with the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).

“Any attempt to link the two projects amounts to surrendering Telangana’s legally entitled water rights and betraying the interests of the State,” Mr. Harish Rao said at a press conference here on Sunday.

Stating that the BRS was strongly opposed to the Banakacherla project and had fought to protect Telangana’s rightful share under the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal award, he said BRS had repeatedly warned that Telangana was entitled to 45 tmc ft allocation in Krishna waters if Godavari waters were diverted to the Krishna basin by AP.

After the Banakacherla and Nallamalasagar proposals failed to gain acceptance, a new attempt was being made under the Godavari-Cauvery River Linking Project, he pointed out.

Mr. Rao recalled that Telangana had participated in several meetings of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) arguing that its pending projects based on its allocated 968 tmc ft share in Godavari waters must receive all statutory clearances first. It must also receive 50% of water diverted through any river-linking project, and any river-linking proposal should pass through Telangana territory, particularly through Ichampalli or Sammakka Sagar to Nagarjunasagar.

The BRS leader alleged that the present proposal bypasses Telangana entirely by seeking to transfer water from Polavaram towards Nallamalasagar and further south. He said the original concept was for water to flow from Ichampalli or Sammakka Sagar to Nagarjunasagar, and then into the Cauvery basin. Instead, AP attempted to divert the Godavari waters without involving Telangana.

He argued that under the present proposal, AP would receive the benefits of a national project while Telangana would lose substantial future water allocations. Mr. Rao criticised Mr. Revanth Reddy’s reported suggestion that Telangana would support approvals for the Banakacherla project if clearance was given to PRLIS.

He pointed out that 90 tmc ft of water allocated to the Palamuru-Rangareddy project already belongs to Telangana and it would not require any concession to/from AP.