Harish alleges bid to undermine Telangana water interests through GRMB agenda

T. Harish Rao, a senior leader of the Bharosa Raksha Samithi (BRS) and a former minister in Telangana, has accused the ruling Congress government of attempting to undermine the state's water interests through the agenda of an upcoming meeting of the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB). The meeting, set to take place in Hyderabad on August 18, is reportedly being used by Andhra Pradesh to push for a review of approvals granted to several major irrigation projects in Telangana, according to Rao. At a press conference held at Telangana Bhavan, Rao stated that the GRMB agenda includes proposals from Andhra Pradesh seeking a reassessment or even suspension of permits issued for projects such as the Kaleshwaram, Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, Chinna Kaleshwaram, Chanaka-Korata, Modikunta Vagu, Kadem Gudem Lift, and Choutuppalli Hanumantha Rao schemes. Additionally, Andhra Pradesh has raised concerns regarding the clearance of the proposed Sammakka Barrage at Tupakulagudem, Rao claimed. Rao demanded that the proposals concerning Telangana’s projects be removed from the GRMB agenda and urged Telangana MPs to bring the issue up in Parliament. He warned that the BRS would strongly oppose any effort to restrict the state’s water rights and hinted at the possibility of organizing a large-scale protest if necessary to defend Telangana’s share of river waters. He further questioned the justification for revisiting approvals that were already granted by central authorities. Rao pointed out that under the leadership of former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, the state had obtained permission for the utilization of 383 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of Godavari waters. He noted that the current government had not managed to secure any additional allocations, arguing that projects approved by the Technical Advisory Committee following thorough scrutiny by various central government departments should not be subject to arbitrary review or cancellation. In addition, Rao criticized the state government for its alleged inefficiency in utilizing the available water resources from both the Godavari and Krishna rivers. He alleged that the Congress government was failing to lift the available water effectively from the Godavari River. Rao also expressed concern over Andhra Pradesh’s claim that Telangana does not hold a 968 tmc ft allocation from the Godavari River. He emphasized that this allocation was included in submissions made during the state bifurcation process and had been previously acknowledged in the records of an earlier GRMB meeting. In his address, Rao sought clarity from Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on whether the government was adequately protecting Telangana’s interests. He also requested statements from Union ministers G. Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar on their positions regarding the matter.