Hyderabad: Opposition leader Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has written to Union water resources minister Uma Bharati objecting to the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation project that was launched in Telangana earlier this week.

Mr Reddy said the project would deprive Rayalaseema, Nellore and Prakasam of water for irrigation and asked the Centre to resolve the issue.

“The State of Telangana is going ahead with the irrigation project without approaching the concerned — the Krishna River Management Board and the apex council — for appraisal and approval of the proposal for the construction of new project,” the YSRC chief wrote.

The Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project will lift 90 TMC water from the river Krishna from the foreshore of the Srisailam reservoir.

“The AP Reorganisation Act deals with the management and development of water resources of the two states. As per Section 84 of the Act, an apex council for Godavari and Krishna river water resources and their management boards have to be constituted by the Central government. It is categorically stated in Section 84 (3), that the functioning of the apex council includes planning and approval of proposals for construction of new projects, if any, based on Godavari or Krishna river water after getting the proposal appraised and recommended by the river management boards and by the Central Water Commission wherever required,” he said. “The project does not have any allocation by any award granted by the Tribunals constituted under the lnter-State River Water Disputes Act,” he added.

He said the project would destabilise the irrigated area under Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar and Prakasam barrage, which would have serious ramifications.