Telangana to go ahead with ongoing projects on Godavari river despite opposition from panel

The Godavari River Management Board on Saturday had asked the state Irrigation Principal Secretary Rajat Kumar not to go ahead with the construction of new projects.
Godavari River (File Photo | EPS)
Godavari River (File Photo | EPS)

HYDERABAD: Even though the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) has asked the State government not to go ahead with the construction of new projects across Godavari, the works on the ongoing irrigation projects like Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme and Tupakulagudem as well as the balance works on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) will continue as they are old projects and have all clearances, according to sources close to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

The same will be informed to the GRMB shortly. "We are not taking up any new projects on Godavari. All the ongoing projects are old projects which have secured all the statutory clearances," a top official in Irrigation department told Express on Monday.

Based on the complaint lodged by the Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Special Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das, the GRMB in a letter on Saturday asked the Irrigation Principal Secretary Rajat Kumar not to go ahead with the construction of new projects on Godavari.

"Telangana government shall not go ahead with the new projects, till the projects are approved by GRMB, CWC and sanctions of Apex Council is obtained," the GRMB said in the letter. However, senior officials in the Irrigation Department pointed out that Kaleshwaram got all the statutory clearances.  TS officials recalled that the other projects mentioned by the official in his complaint too got several clearances by agencies concerned.

In view of the GRMB’s letter to stop the new projects on Godavari and the proposed meeting of Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) on June 4, the Chief Minister conducted a detailed review on the issue at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday.

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the State did not take up any new project on Godavari. But, it is the AP government which took up a new project, Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, without any approvals to divert eight tmcft water from Srisailam to Rayalaseema through Pothireddypadu.

According to sources, the Chief Minister will hold another round of meetings on irrigation projects on Tuesday too. Later, the stand to be adopted by the State government at KRMB and GRMB meetings will be finalised.

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