Mon Apr 07 15:32:59 UTC 2025: ## Telangana Accuses Andhra Pradesh of Hiding Polavaram-Banakacherla Project Details
**Hyderabad, April 7, 2025** – Tensions flared at the 17th Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) meeting in Hyderabad today, as Telangana accused Andhra Pradesh of concealing information regarding the proposed Polavaram-Banakacherla link project. Telangana officials claimed Andhra Pradesh is proceeding with the project without necessary clearances and permissions from statutory agencies, and that the GRMB has not shared relevant information received from Andhra Pradesh or the central government (Ministry of Jal Shakti) for the past five months.
Telangana demanded the GRMB release details about the project, including the volume of water to be diverted and its impact on Telangana’s Godavari basin. They also questioned the functioning of the GRMB’s Member-Secretary, R. Azhagesan, citing complaints from board employees.
Andhra Pradesh countered the accusations, stating that a detailed project report is yet to be prepared and the plan currently focuses on utilizing surplus floodwaters. They maintained the project requires no further permissions at this stage.
The GRMB admitted to receiving limited information from Andhra Pradesh and agreed to share the available data. Disagreements also arose regarding the handover of projects to the GRMB as per a 2021 gazette notification, with Telangana refusing unless existing disputes are resolved. Andhra Pradesh echoed this sentiment, stating that the project handover is contingent on Telangana’s agreement.
The meeting did reach a consensus on temporary repairs for the damaged Peddavagu project in Khammam district, with an estimated cost of ₹15 crore to be shared by both states based on their respective command areas. The ongoing dispute over the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project, however, remains unresolved.
First Piper 