Victory For Telangana As Clearance For RLIS Blocked

Telangana Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy today secured a major victory for Telangana by convincing the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to recommend blocking environmental clearance (EC) for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) of Andhra Pradesh.

The Telangana government reportedly made consistent efforts at various levels and forums to halt the RLIS, making strong representations before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the MoEF&CC, the Supreme Court, the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and the KWDT-II.

Reddy has been at the forefront of this battle, taking up the issue with the Union Environment Minister and warning that Andhra Pradesh's unilateral execution of RLIS would severely impact Telangana's rightful share of the Krishna river water.

In a significant development, the EAC, in its 25th meeting on February 27, ruled that Andhra Pradesh must restore the RLIS site to its pre-construction stage before applying for environmental clearance.

While reviewing a case related to the RLIS and its compliance with an NGT order, the committee concluded that Andhra Pradesh had violated environmental norms and needed to roll back all work beyond the initial planning stage before proceeding further.

The ruling also said that Andhra Pradesh needed to submit an affidavit confirming that no construction had been carried out after the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), and provide photographic evidence, restoration details and a timeline of corrective actions.

The committee warned that any false or misleading information would invite legal action under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

The Telangana team, led by Uttam Kumar Reddy, has been steady in its opposition to the RLIS, citing violations of environmental laws and inter-state water-sharing norms. Telangana has consistently argued that RLIS is an illegal project that diverted Krishna waters without approval from the KRMB or the Apex Council.

The latest EAC ruling has been hailed as a crucial legal and environmental victory for Telangana, reinforcing the State's position that the RLIS is an illegal project that cannot be allowed to proceed.

This decision is expected to bring major relief to thousands of farmers, particularly in the drought-prone Krishna basin region, who feared that the RLIS would severely impact water availability for irrigation.