Telangana urges Centre to examine Palamuru-Rangareddy irrigation scheme report

The Telangana government has registered strong objection with the Centre for turning down its detailed project report for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) under construction on Krishna River.

The state has urged the Central Water Commission (CWC) to re-examine the report and grant clearance to the project at the earliest.

Telangana special chief secretary (irrigation) Rajat Kumar has written a letter to the Union Jal Shakti secretary Pankaj Kumar requesting that the CWC be directed to examine the detailed project report again.

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The PRLIS being constructed at a cost of ₹35,000 crore envisages lifting water from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir to the proposed KP Laxmidevipally Reservoir near Shadnagar in Rangareddy district, irrigating upland areas of Nagarkurnool, Rangareddy, Narayanpet, Mahbubnagar, Vikarabad and Nalgonda districts, for an ayacut of 10 lakh acres, besides providing drinking water to en route villages and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, besides industrial use.

On April 15, CWC project appraisal directorate official Nityananda Mukherjee communicated to the state government that the commission was rejecting the DPR, following objections raised by Andhra Pradesh.

The CWC official made it clear that the DPR could not be taken up for examination until the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal -II gives its verdict on the issue. The project aims at drawing 45tmcft (thousand million cubic feet), which would be utilised after diversion of Godavari water to Krishna River.

Chief secretary Rajat Kumar said a detailed explanation on the project was given for all concerns raised by the CWC and hence the Centre should not have any issue examining the DPR.

Taking objection to the CWC claim that the DPR was not taken up for examination in wait of the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-II) verdict, Kumar recalled that Justice Brijesh Kumar said that they do not have the authority to allocate water, hence, it was requested to examine the DPR and grant permissions subject to the final judgment of the Tribunal..

According to the gazette released by the Central government on July 15, 2021, Palamuru-Rangareddy has been included on the list of non-permitted projects. It has been said that permissions should be obtained within six months and a DPR has been submitted for the same, said Kumar.

“It is the Centre’s responsibility to scrutinise the DPR and grant permissions within six months from then. However, it is unfair for the CWC to say that the DPR cannot be examined because the case is pending in the tribunal,” he added.

“How did the Centre grant permissions to the Upper Bhadra irrigation project in Karnataka, in addition to according it the status of a ‘national project’. How are the norms different for Telangana and Karnataka?,” Kumar asked.

During the 2014 elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised that the BJP government will complete the project after coming to power, said the official, urging the Centre to immediately examine the report.