New Delhi: SC to hear Telangana petition against Banakacharla on Jan 5
The Supreme Court will take up hearing on January 5 on the petition filed by the Telangana government challenging the Andhra Pradesh government’s proposed construction of Polavaram-Banakacharla link project that seeks to divert 200 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) of Godavari River water to Krishna river basin, Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said on Wednesday.
The minister told reporters that the Telangana government had taken decisive steps to challenge the unlawful diversions of Godavari waters to Krishna basin. “The Telangana government filed a writ petition against the proposal in the Supreme Court and it has been listed for hearing before the bench of Chief Justice of India on January 5,” Reddy said.
He said the move demonstrated the state government’s proactive fight against the project. He refuted the allegations made by Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and former minister T Harish Rao that the Congress government had mortgaged the interests of Telangana by remaining silent on the neighbouring state’s move to construct the Polavaram-Banakacharla link project.
The irrigation minister also refuted Harish Rao’s claim that the Central Water Commission (CWC) had granted permission to the Andhra Pradesh government for the diversion of 200 tmc of Godavari waters putting the interests of Telangana in jeopardy,
Reddy said the Union ministry of Jal Shakti had not only withheld permission for construction of the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project but has also refused to allow the Andhra Pradesh government to even prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
“The Union ministry explicitly communicated to the Andhra Pradesh government that preparation of the DPR cannot proceed without in-principle approval from the Central Water Commission (CWC). As of December 4, 2025, no such in-principle consent was granted for the Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project,” he said.
On Tuesday, Harish Rao called for a resolution in the state assembly opposing the approvals given for the Polavaram-Banakacharla project. He also suggested staging a protest in Delhi to demand the revocation of permissions granted by the CWC.
Highlighting legal provisions, Harish Rao noted that if Godavari water is transferred to Krishna, according to the Bachawat award, Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra should receive water in the 45:21:14 ratio. “These rules apply to both the Polavaram and Banakacharla projects,” he said.
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