Former Telangana minister and BRS leader T. Harish Rao has strongly criticised the state government over the reported move to review and potentially cancel approvals granted to Telangana irrigation projects. He claimed that there was no precedent in the country for cancelling project approvals after they had been secured through all necessary procedures. Harish Rao alleged that the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) was preparing an agenda to revoke approvals for projects sanctioned during the KCR government and accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of indirectly supporting the move.
Harish Rao recalled that the BRS government had secured approvals for the Sammakka Sagar Project on August 25, 2022, after considerable effort. He expressed concern that a major attempt was now underway to undermine the project. According to Harish Rao, Andhra Pradesh had sought the withdrawal of the proposed 47 TMC Sammakka Sagar Project during a meeting involving three chief ministers in Karnataka, and he alleged that the Telangana government had agreed to the demand.
Harish Rao further claimed that the water from the Sammakka Sagar Project would benefit Huzurnagar, the constituency of Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, and questioned the government’s alleged lack of commitment to the project. He also criticised Uttam Kumar Reddy for writing to the Centre only after the BRS raised the issue, calling it evidence of the government’s failure to act proactively. However, the allegations made by Harish Rao represent the BRS’s position, and an official response from the Telangana government is awaited.
