Banakacherla Row: Revanth Warns Chandrababu, Says ‘Don’t Be Delusional’

Telangana passed a resolution on Wednesday opposing the Godavari-Banakacherla project. A meeting of all-party MPs was convened, during which it was decided that the matter would be pursued through legal and constitutional channels.

Following the meeting, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy issued a warning to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, Chandrababu Naidu, stating, “You might be close to the NDA, or Prime Minister Modi may listen to you. But if you think you will get approvals for the Banakacherla project, you are deluded.”

Asserting that Telangana has a clear action plan to protect its interests, Revanth Reddy said the government would approach the courts if the project is approved. “If we still don’t get any relief, we will go to the people,” he added.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the Telangana government has represented the matter to Union Ministers, but a positive outcome is unlikely.

He explained that a three-pronged approach — technical, legal, and political — will be adopted to address the issue. “A meeting with Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil will be requested in Delhi. If there is no response, we will seek an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the monsoon session of Parliament,” he said.

If political efforts fail, a legal battle will follow, he added.

Lashing out at BRS supremo K. Chandrashekar Rao, Revanth alleged that the former Chief Minister agreed to 299 TMC of water from the Krishna River in 2015, although Telangana’s rightful share was 555 TMC. “This has now become a hurdle for the state,” he remarked. The Chief Minister accused KCR of laying the foundation for the contentious project.

Citing the 2016 Apex Council meeting chaired by the then Union Minister Uma Bharathi, he alleged that KCR said over 1,000 tmcft of water was needed for the ongoing and proposed Krishna river projects of both states, while over 3,000 tmcft of Godavari water flowed wastefully into the sea each year. The chief minister questioned the basis of this 3,000 tmcft figure, accusing the AP government of using KCR’s statement to justify the Banakacherla project.

As part of the Godavari-Banakacherla project, the Andhra Pradesh government aims to divert Godavari water to the Krishna River and further to the Bollapalli reservoir via the Nagarjuna Sagar Right Bank Canal, eventually channelling it to Banakacherla through a 31-km-long tunnel. The project intends to mitigate water scarcity in drought-prone regions of the state — especially Prakasam, Nellore, and Rayalaseema districts — by utilizing 280 TMC of Godavari floodwater during the rainy season.

The project has become a contentious issue between the Telugu states, as Telangana claims it will divert its rightful share of Godavari water, jeopardizing the ayacut under Nagarjuna Sagar and leaving several districts parched.

The project also appears to have strained ties between Chandrababu Naidu and Revanth Reddy, who have been known to share a guru-shishya relationship.

While Chandrababu Naidu appears to be leveraging his position in the NDA government at the Centre to get approvals for the project, Revanth Reddy has been facing heat from the opposition BRS in Telangana over his inability to prevent the project from taking shape.