Amaravati, June 17: While the Telangana government strongly opposed the Godavari-Banakacherla Link Project and asked the Centre to reject the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR), the Andhra Pradesh government supported the project. AP said it would not harm the interests of Telangana or any upper riparian state.

Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu gave a PowerPoint presentation explaining the project. He said that around 3,000 TMC of water from the Godavari River flows into the sea every year without use. He explained that AP wants to divert this water from Polavaram to Banakacherla.

Ramanaidu assured that AP is not using water meant for Telangana or any other state. He said the Godavari is one of the few rivers in the world with a high water flow of about 50 lakh cusecs. He denied the claim that AP is taking Telangana’s water share.

Meanwhile, Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy wrote to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav asking not to approve the project or grant Terms of Reference (ToR). He said the proposal goes against the Godavari Water Tribunal Award of 1980.

The proposal was included in the 33rd meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for discussion. Uttam said Andhra Pradesh is violating water sharing rules and environment permissions. He also alleged that AP made major changes to irrigation projects without proper approval.

Uttam had also written to Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil stating that the Godavari-Banakacherla project violates the 1980 Tribunal Award and the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. He said this project is a serious threat to Telangana’s fair share of water.