India News | Centre Says No Construction Started on Polavaram-Banakacherla Project

New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) The Centre on Monday clarified that construction work on the controversial Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project has not begun yet, even as the Telangana government continues to raise serious objections to it.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said that the Government of Andhra Pradesh has submitted only a Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) for the project.

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"As informed by the GoAP, the work pertaining to the Polavaram-Banakacherla Link Project has not yet been taken up," said Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary.

The Polavaram-Banakacherla project, part of a broader river interlinking initiative, has sparked tensions between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with the latter repeatedly voicing concerns over its potential impact on water availability and interstate water-sharing agreements.

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Asked whether the Centre would issue a stop work order in light of Telangana's objections, the minister said the question does not arise as no work has commenced.

However, he acknowledged that the government had received representations from Telangana and assured that a techno-economic appraisal is underway.

The project is being assessed by the Central Water Commission in consultation with all concerned authorities and co-basin states.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)