Revanth Reddy Govt Faces Setback as NGT Halts Narayanpet–Kodangal Lift Irrigation Project

In a major blow to the Telangana government, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered an immediate halt to all works related to the Narayanpet–Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme (NKLIS). The Tribunal came down heavily on contractors Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) and Raghava Constructions for proceeding with the project without mandatory environmental clearances.

The NGT also pulled up the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government, questioning why construction was taken up without securing proper approvals. The order adds to the mounting troubles surrounding the project, which has been mired in political controversy and local opposition since its inception.

The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has been vocal in its criticism, accusing the Congress government of sidelining the nearly completed Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) in favour of launching a new project. The BRS alleged that PRLIS, where most of the works had been completed during its tenure, has been neglected for the past 18 months.

Though Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy have promised to complete pending PRLIS works, farmers remain doubtful. The NKLIS project, whose foundation stone was laid in February this year, has already run into multiple controversies.

Earlier, the BRS had alleged irregularities in awarding two key packages worth ₹4,350 crore to MEIL and Raghava Constructions. The project later faced stiff resistance from farmers unwilling to part with their lands, citing inadequate compensation. While the Congress initially offered ₹14 lakh per acre and later revised it to ₹20 lakh, farmers have demanded as much as ₹40 lakh per acre.

Despite the hurdles, the Congress government has maintained that the NKLIS project is crucial to addressing water scarcity in drought-hit constituencies of Narayanpet, Kodangal, and Makthal. Designed to irrigate nearly 100,000 acres, the project also aims to provide 0.38 TMC ft of drinking water for Narayanpet district.

The estimated cost of the project is pegged at ₹4,350 crore. Phase 1, costing ₹2,945 crore, involves modernising the Vutkur, Jayamma, and Kankurthy tanks. Phase 2, worth ₹1,404.5 crore, proposes expanding tanks such as Jajapur, Doulatabad, Bomraopet, Lakshmipur, Yerlapalli, Husnabad, and Kodangal, along with distributary canal networks.

For now, the NGT’s intervention has put the brakes on Telangana’s ambitious irrigation plan, deepening political and legal challenges for the Congress government.