KTR fires salvo at Centre for deferring green nod to PRLIS

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Thursday wrote an open letter to the BJP-led Central government over the issue of the Environment Assessment Committee (EAC) deferring the environmental clearance (EC) for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).

In the letter he highlighted the intense discrimination of the Central government against Telangana. “I write this open letter with utter disappointment regarding the discriminatory actions of the BJP-led Central government against Telangana. I want to highlight the Centre’s unjust treatment of the State’s irrigation projects, particularly the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS). It is essential to draw attention to this issue and demand that it be addressed promptly,” he said.

Rao said the Palamuru Rangareddy project is a ray of hope for the drought-prone areas of Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Vikarabad, Narayanpet, Rangareddy, and Nalgonda districts. “It aims to provide water for over 12.5 lakh acres and fulfill drinking water needs of many villages, Hyderabad and industries. The project has the potential to transform lives and reduce struggles caused by water scarcity”.

Rao said the erstwhile Mahbubnagar, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts had struggled with drought and water scarcity. Additionally, Nalgonda faced fluoride issues. Mahbubnagar experienced migration due to lack of irrigation facilities. After State formation, the government had undertaken many irrigation projects to address the challenges of water scarcity and agricultural development. The PRLIS is one of the significant irrigation projects of Telangana, he said.

Rao said that the BJP-led Centre was completely neglecting Telangana’s irrigation projects and provides no support or funds. “They create obstacles in granting permissions and refuse to grant national status to our projects. Meanwhile, projects in other states receive funding, permissions, and national status. How fair is it that the Union government has refused to grant national status to the PRLIS while readily granting national status to the Upper Bhadra irrigation project in Karnataka?” questioned Rao.

The Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II has not given any decision on sharing water between the four states. The Central government has not taken significant action to address this matter. Telangana has been demanding for its rightful share of 500 TMC water from the Krishna River. Unfortunately, the Central Government has not taken the basic step of referring our request to the tribunal even after 9 years. Despite water being a state subject, Telangana is currently unable to utilize its own water from irrigation projects without obtaining permission from the central government, said Rao adding, the way the BJP-led Central government treats Telangana was very disappointing. “They ignore our state’s fair requests and don’t give us the same opportunities as others. The people of Telangana should have a fair chance to develop and get what they deserve. Let me make one thing clear: the Centre cannot break Telangana’s indomitable spirit. Despite the central government’s lack of support, Telangana has consistently outperformed other states in the country in various sectors. I urge everyone to condemn the Central Government’s unfair treatment towards Telangana,” said Rao.