Amaravati, 04 January (HS): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday rejected Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s claim that the NDA government in the state had halted the Rayalaseema Lift Project at his request.

The Telugu Desam Party-led government termed the remarks made by Revanth Reddy in the Telangana Legislative Assembly during a debate on Krishna waters as factually incorrect and misleading, asserting that the project’s suspension had no link to political pressure or inter-state negotiations.

The Andhra Pradesh government clarified that the Rayalaseema Lift Project was taken up during the previous regime without obtaining mandatory statutory approvals and that works were initiated despite the absence of required clearances. It said the Telangana government had challenged the project before courts, the Centre and the National Green Tribunal, following which authorities ordered a halt to the works.

Stating that directions from the National Green Tribunal and the Union government were issued as early as 2020, the state government said the project had already been stopped well before the Chandrababu Naidu-led government assumed office in 2024, and asserted that there would be no compromise on Andhra Pradesh’s water rights or irrigation interests of Rayalaseema.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar