CPI asks Andhra Pradesh CM to block Telangana's lift irrigation project near Pulichintala

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has urged Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to intervene immediately and stop the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Lift Irrigation Scheme being undertaken by the Telangana government near the Pulichintala project on the Krishna River.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, CPI State secretary G. Eswaraiah expressed concern over the project, which is being built between Bugga Madaram and Dondapadu villages in Chintalapalem mandal of Suryapet district in Telangana at an estimated cost of ₹394 crore.

According to the CPI leader, the project has a capacity to lift 2,500 cusecs of water per day and is intended to stabilise irrigation facilities over nearly 14,000 acres under the Muktyala Major Branch of the Nagarjunasagar Left Canal system. Mr. Eswaraiah claimed that the scheme could adversely affect several lift irrigation projects dependent on the Pulichintala reservoir in Andhra Pradesh. He said 21 lift irrigation schemes in the Peddakurapadu Assembly constituency in Palnadu district and 51 schemes in the Nandigama and Jaggayyapeta constituencies of NTR district could be affected.

He also warned that rural drinking water supply schemes might face disruptions, potentially affecting nearly 50,000 acres of agricultural land and causing hardship to thousands of farmers.

The CPI leader pointed out that the Pulichintala project was designed to regulate the flow of the Krishna River and ensure irrigation and drinking water supplies to downstream areas. The project currently provides irrigation security to nearly 1.3 million acres of Krishna delta ayacut spread across Guntur, Palnadu, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, NTR and Eluru districts.

Mr. Eswaraiah further argued that Sections 84 and 85 of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, require the approval of the Apex Council headed by the Union Jal Shakti Minister and the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) before any new lift irrigation scheme is undertaken in the Krishna basin.

Claiming that the absence of such approvals raised legal concerns, he called upon the State government to take up the matter with the Centre, seek the intervention of the Apex Council and the KRMB, and, if necessary, pursue legal action to halt the project. A copy of the letter was also marked to Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu.

The development highlights the ongoing inter-state water sharing tensions between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana following the bifurcation of the state in 2014. The Krishna River management has been a contentious issue, with both states often differing over the use of river water and infrastructure projects. The Pulichintala project, completed in recent years, is seen as crucial for Andhra Pradesh's irrigation needs, and any perceived threat to its water availability is likely to draw strong reactions from political parties and farmers' groups in the state.