Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has called on the Union Government to immediately reject the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari-Banakacherla Project, disallow submission of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), and prevent any tendering process tied to the scheme.
In a letter sent on June 13 to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and released to the press on Saturday, Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the Andhra Pradesh government of attempting to circumvent statutory clearances to push forward the ₹80,112 crore project. He claimed the proposal violated provisions of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) Award of 1980 and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act (APRA), 2014, and posed a direct threat to Telangana’s entitled share of Godavari waters.
Uttam Kumar Reddy cited developments from a meeting held on June 2, chaired by Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Sajjan Yadav and attended by Senior Joint Commissioner of the Ministry of Jal Shakti Amit Kumar Jha, where the Andhra Pradesh government was reportedly directed to submit a DPR for the link project. The Telangana minister argued that such a direction effectively implied acceptance of the PFR, bypassing the Central Water Commission’s due process. He termed the move as procedurally untenable and in breach of established inter-state water governance norms.
He wrote that no DPR should be entertained until a PFR has been formally approved by the CWC. “Does GoI asking the state government to submit the DPR infer that the PFR of this scheme is deemed to have been approved by CWC?” Uttam Kumar Reddy asked, asserting Telangana’s formal opposition to both the direction and the project itself.
The minister recalled previous objections raised by him in January 2025, in letters addressed to the same Union Ministers. He referred to letters written by the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister to the Ministry of Finance on November 15 and December 31, 2024, seeking Central assistance, and a PowerPoint presentation made on December 29. The proposal envisioned diverting 200 TMC of Godavari water to Bollapalli reservoir in Guntur district, with a proposed storage capacity of 150 TMC. According to Uttam Kumar Reddy, the project was divided into three components—Godavari to Krishna River (₹13,511 crore), Krishna to Bollapalli (₹28,560 crore), and Bollapalli to Banakacherla (₹38,041 crore).
Uttam Kumar Reddy countered the justification provided by Andhra Pradesh under Sections 46(2) and 46(3) of the Reorganisation Act, stating those clauses do not override Part-IX, which specifically governs water resource management. He said Andhra Pradesh had neither obtained technical approval from the CWC, nor secured consent from the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), or the Apex Council.
He reminded the Centre that the GWDT Award had allocated 1,486 TMC of Godavari water to the erstwhile undivided state, with 968 TMC now earmarked for Telangana. He argued that Telangana’s own schemes, based on this assured allocation, were still pending with the CWC and GRMB, and said it would be unjustifiable to approve a new project from Andhra Pradesh in the interim. He added that Andhra Pradesh’s claim of using “flood waters” was legally untenable, as the GWDT Award made no separate provision for such a category.
Wrote to Jal Shakti Minister @CRPaatil exposing violations in Andhra’s Godavari-Banakacherla project push
Centre must not legitimise Andhra’s backdoor attempt to hijack Godavari waters.
The Union Government must immediately reject the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the… pic.twitter.com/xmwgFJbV55
— Uttam Kumar Reddy (@UttamINC) June 14, 2025
Responding to Uttam Kumar Reddy’s January 22 letter, C.R. Patil had replied on May 28 that no formal DPR had been received and that any submission would be examined according to tribunal awards, interstate agreements, and provisions of APRA. Uttam Kumar Reddy said he found the Centre’s signals deeply worrying despite this assurance, and demanded a categorical halt to Andhra Pradesh’s activities related to the project.
He wrote that the Centre must bar Andhra Pradesh from proceeding further, including calling or awarding tenders. He urged the Jal Shakti Ministry and all statutory bodies to “desist from approving this project disregarding the APRA 2014 and other statutory provisions.”
The Telangana minister also rejected criticism from BRS leader T. Harish Rao, who had alleged government inaction. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government initiated formal objections from the outset and escalated the issue to the Centre immediately after Andhra Pradesh’s first move. He added that the previous BRS administration was responsible for diluting Telangana’s river rights, accusing it of reducing the state’s Krishna allocation from 724 TMC to 299 TMC while allowing Andhra Pradesh 512 TMC.
Uttam Kumar Reddy further alleged that the BRS regime facilitated daily diversions from Mucchumarri and Malyala without intervention and failed to challenge Andhra’s tenders for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project. He claimed there was a tacit understanding between the then Chief Ministers K. Chandrashekar Rao and Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to allow ongoing diversions.
