Hyderabad, Jul 13 (IANS): Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President and Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday accused the Centre of discriminating against Telangana over irrigation projects.

In an open letter to the BJP-led Central government over the issue of the Environment Assessment Committee (EAC) deferring the environmental clearance (EC) for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), he highlighted the "intense discrimination" of the Central government against Telangana.

“I write this open letter with utter disappointment regarding the discriminatory actions of the BJP-led Central government against Telangana state. I want to highlight the Centre’s unjust treatment of the state’s irrigation projects, particularly the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS). It is essential to draw attention to this issue and demand that it be addressed promptly,” KTR, as Rao is popularly known, wrote.

The BRS leader stated that Palamuru Rangareddy project is a ray of hope for the drought-prone areas of Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Vikarabad, Narayanpet, Rangareddy, and Nalgonda districts in Telangana. It aims to provide water for over 12.5 lakh acres of land and fulfill the drinking water needs of many villages, Hyderabad City, and industries.

This project has the potential to transform lives and reduce the struggles caused by water scarcity. The minister pointed out that erstwhile Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy, and Nalgonda districts have struggled with drought and water scarcity. Additionally, Nalgonda faced fluoride issues and Mahabubnagar experienced migration due to the lack of irrigation facilities.

After the state's formation, the Telangana government has undertaken many irrigation projects to address the challenges of water scarcity and agricultural development. PRLIS is one of the significant irrigation projects of Telangana.

“However, the BJP-led Central government completely neglects Telangana's irrigation projects and provides no support or funds. They create obstacles in granting permissions and refuse to grant national status to our projects. Meanwhile, projects in other states receive funding, permissions, and national status. How fair is it that the Union government has refused to grant national status to the PRLIS while readily granting national status to the Upper Bhadra irrigation project in Karnataka?”

He mentioned that the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II has not given any decision on sharing water between the four states and the Central government has not taken significant action to address this matter.

Noting Telangana has been demanding for its rightful share of 500 TMC water from the Krishna river, he said: "Unfortunately, the Central government has not taken the basic step of referring our request to the tribunal even after 9 years. Despite water being a state subject, Telangana is currently unable to utilise its own water from irrigation projects without obtaining permission from the Central government."