The hopes of the Telangana government in getting national status to Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme were dashed on Thursday as Union Minister of Water Resources, Nitin Gadkari, informed the Lok Sabha that the Centre had decided not to give any such concession to irrigation projects after Polavaram, which is being implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Mr. Gadkari said, in response to a question, that the Centre was working to fulfil a promise in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to give national status to Polavaram project. “After that, it was decided that no further announcements of national status to projects will be made by the Centre.” This has virtually sealed the fate of getting national status, more particularly to Kaleshwaram project, or the Palamuru–Ranga Reddy project taken up by Telangana. The State government had been repeatedly requesting the Centre to give national status to Kaleshwaram project for the last four years. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao himself took up the demand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao made several representations not only to Mr. Gadkari but also his predecessor Uma Bharti. The TRS MPs had also protested seeking concession of the demand in Parliament.
Immediately after Mr. Gadkari’s statement in Parliament on Thursday, the TRS MPs led by deputy leader B. Vinod Kumar rose from the seats but the Speaker Sumitra Mahajan moved to the next question.
Later, Mr. Vinod Kumar wrote to Mr. Gadkari requesting the latter to reconsider his remark. He also requested the Centre to declare one irrigation project of Telangana a national project.
The MP recalled in the letter that he could not get a chance to speak on the issue although he tried to raise the issue in the House. He said taking up of Polavaram project as a national project was justified in the backdrop of the provision in the AP Reorganisation Act. But, the Centre should also look at the other State which was also party to the Act.
Despite insufficient financial allocation from the Centre, the Telangana government has taken up projects on both Krishna and Godavari rivers which passed through the State. The government can take at least one project on either of the rivers as a national project.
