The Telangana government has withdrawn its writ petition against Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram-Banakacherla/Nallamalasagar Link Project following the Supreme Court’s decision that it was not maintainable. The court suggested that such disputes should be resolved through a suit involving all affected states. Telangana had filed the petition to stop Andhra Pradesh from progressing with activities related to the project.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi granted Telangana the liberty to seek other legal remedies, including filing a civil suit. Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy mentioned that the state would utilize all available forums to safeguard its share of water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers.
The Congress government in Telangana aims to protect the state’s water rights. Senior counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi highlighted to the Supreme Court the violations of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal award by Andhra Pradesh. The court was informed that Andhra Pradesh was attempting to use more water than it was allocated and was not entitled to additional water usage.
Telangana also pointed out to the court that Andhra Pradesh was violating the approved Polavaram project conditions. The Ministry of Environment and Forest’s ‘stop work order’ was reportedly ignored by Andhra Pradesh in the project’s construction. The state was accused of trying to develop infrastructure to exceed the allotted water limit of 484.5 TMC without necessary approvals.
Senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi represented the Andhra Pradesh government in the proceedings. The Supreme Court had previously expressed doubts about the petition’s validity and suggested that a suit under Article 131 of the Constitution would be a more effective way to address the matter.
