In Hyderabad, the Telangana irrigation minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy, met the Union Jal Shakti Minister, C. R. Paatil, on Tuesday to insist that the government should not clear the Polavaram‑Banakacherla link project that Andhra Pradesh wants to start.
Reddy told reporters the Andhra‑Prachad government is re‑branding the project and that it is illegal because no flood‑water can be allocated under the 1980 Godavari Water Dispute award. He said he has already written to the Union minister in detail. Maharashtra and Karnataka also oppose this plan.
In addition, the Telangana minister asked the centre not to allow Karnataka to raise the height of the Almatti dam on the Krishna River. The Supreme Court has stayed any increase beyond 519 m, but the Karnataka government has moved forward with land‑acquisition orders. Reddy warned that lifting the dam height would hurt Telangana.
Reddy also pushed for quick water‑allocation decisions for Telangana’s irrigation schemes. He wants the Central government to approve 90 thousand million cubic metres (TMC) of water for the Palamuru‑Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and immediate access to 45 TMC. He also requested clearances for the Samakka‑Sarakka project on the Godavari, for which a detailed project report has already been submitted to the Central Water Commission.
Turning to the Brijesh Tribunal (Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal‑2), Reddy said that 811 TMC of water should be split between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but the case is dragging on. He urged the central government to push the tribunal to finalize the split.
Finally, the minister highlighted that Telangana has been asking the centre for irrigation funding for the last 22 months and wants those funds released as soon as possible.
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