Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Friday stated that the Centre is playing a "facilitator's role", not a "judge's role" when it comes to interstate water disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The union government had also invited Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy respectively to discuss the proposed Polavaram Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) in Andhra, he said at a press conference here.
"When conflicts between two states over river water arise, the central government calls the CMs of both states for talks. We have respect for cooperative federalism. Even for the Banakacharla project, the central government summoned both the chief ministers for talks. This is not to pass a judgement. but to become a facilitator in solving the issue by convening the two CMs to the negotiating table," Reddy explained.
The Centre on 16 July opted to form a high-level technical committee within a week to discuss issues regarding the PBLP and other outstanding interstate water disputes between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The decision comes after a high-level meeting led by Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil with the two chief ministers — Chandrababu Naidu and Revanth Reddy — present.
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The PBLP is a large-scale inter-basin river-connecting scheme mooted by the Andhra government. It seeks to reduce water shortages in arid areas, particularly Rayalaseema, by diverting excess water from the Godavari river to the Krishna and Penna basins via an interlinked system of reservoirs, canals, and lift irrigation schemes.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao had previously claimed that Revanth Reddy implicitly consented to the Banakacharla project that would be opposed tooth and nail by the Telangana-based party.
Attacking the former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao's party, Kishan Reddy stated when the Bharat Rashtra Samithi was in government, it was uttering one thing, and now being in opposition, it is uttering something else.
The union minister also tried to understand that who is against the Banakacharla project and how the Telangana government was thinking of using Godavari river water.
Kishan Reddy, however, stated that Union Minister Ashwani Vaishnaw will visit the rail coach factory works going on at Warangal. For railway projects, Telangana is seeing works that amount to more than ₹42,000 crore, Reddy added. All the stations in the state provide free Wi-Fi facilities and passenger facilities are enhanced at all the stations, he further added.
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