Polavaram Project: Telangana Urges Centre To Halt 'Illegal' Expansion By Andhra Pradesh

Telangana said the 'illegal' and 'unapproved' expansion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project by Andhra Pradesh was affecting the state's rightful share of Godavari water.

Telangana has urged the Centre to take action against the Andhra Pradesh government over "illegal" and "unapproved" expansion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, which is affecting Telangana's rightful share of Godavari water. Telangana Finance Minister Harish Rao raised these concerns in a meeting with Union Jal Sakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi on Tuesday. 

During the meeting, Harish Rao requested Shekhawat to expedite approvals of four DPRs (detail project reports) of Sita Rama LIS, Sammakka Sagar Project, an additional TMC of Kaleshwaram Project, and the Dr BR Ambedkar Wardha Project. He also requested clearance of the Palamaru Rangareddy LI Scheme.

Harish Rao also urged the Union Minister to refer Telangana's complaint under Section 3 of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act to a tribunal for a fair and equitable allocation of Krishna water, considering Telangana's status as a newly formed state.

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Harish Rao said Andhra Pradesh was expanding the Right Main Canal (RMC) and Left Main Canal (LMC) of the Polavaram project to increase their carrying capacity beyond the legally allowed limits.

This expansion allegedly aims to transport water to new command areas that are neither part of the approved command areas of Polavaram nor approved as independent projects by the Central Water Commission and Technical Advisory Committee, Rao said.

Rao claimed that Andhra Pradesh was creating a carrying capacity of nearly 1,500 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) against an allocation of 493 TMC, which could potentially impact Telangana's claims on Godavari surplus waters in the future.

Telangana has argued that since Polavaram was a national project, the responsibility for ensuring the project's construction adheres to the originally approved technical parameters and prevents the expansion of out-of-scope components by state governments.