YS Jagan Mohan Reddy came before the media to politicise comments made by Revanth Reddy on the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project. He attempted to turn the issue into a political debate rather than addressing the core concerns around the project.
The Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was initiated during the YSR Congress regime with an estimated cost of ₹4,000 crore. Megha Engineering secured the contract. The party claims 85 percent of the work was completed, though that claim remains disputed amid concerns over fund utilisation.
The project aimed to lift three TMCs of water per day from the Srisailam reservoir to irrigate drought-prone areas in Kurnool and Kadapa districts. However, the Telangana government challenged the project in court, stating it began without mandatory permissions.
In December 2021, the National Green Tribunal ordered a complete halt to the works. The tribunal cited the absence of environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change as the primary reason for stopping the project.
The project was also found to be in violation of interstate water-sharing provisions under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. Despite remaining in power until 2024, Jagan Mohan Reddy failed to secure the required approvals or restart the stalled works.
Even the Detailed Project Report did not receive approval from the Krishna River Management Board or the Central Water Commission. The Telugu Desam Party consistently opposed the project, stating it served no purpose beyond alleged kickbacks.
Meanwhile, Revanth Reddy claimed credit for stalling the project by pursuing Chandrababu Naidu on the issue. The Andhra Pradesh government countered this claim, clarifying that the project had already been halted during the previous administration.
Jagan Mohan Reddy is now attempting to derive political mileage from the controversy. Similar to earlier narratives around caste and Amaravati, he is trying to provoke Rayalaseema sentiments by projecting the project as a lost opportunity.
In reality, the project offers no additional water benefit to Rayalaseema. Existing gravity-based projects like Telugu Ganga, Handri-Neeva and Galeru-Nagari already serve the region when water is available. The current government is prioritising early completion of Handri-Neeva instead.