Telangana Government asks Jal Shakti to stop funding Veligonda project

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has demanded the Union Jal Shakti Ministry to stop funding the Veligonda project under PMKSY- AIBP (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana- Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme), which is under construction in Andhra Pradesh.

In a letter to the ministry, State Engineer- In- Chief C Muralidhar said on Friday that the project was taken up by erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government based on surplus waters of river Krishna and does not have any clearance of the Central Water Commission. "The project was shown as unapproved project in the gazette notification issued in July this year by the ministry."

He explained in the letter that there is no allocation of water to the project by the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal -2. "It envisaged diversion of the Krishna water to other basins and is being vehemently opposed by Telangana before the tribunal."

Muralidhar said, "As the unapproved project is diverting the Krishna water outside the basin, it is not correct to provide funding under the Central scheme."