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Hyderabad: The Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which works under the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change, has refused to accord permission for the construction of the Polaravam-Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) being proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government.

The committee has made it clear that the project was in violation of the provisions of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal’s (GWDT) 1983 verdict, and that it needed to be scrutinised by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

The experts committee stated that several objections were raised against the project’s construction before it.

The committee opined that only after ascertaining the storage of water under the project, issues between AP and Telangana, and the impact of the project on the environment, that any further move could be made with regard to the project.

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy, along with irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy had met Union Jal Shakti minister CR Patil on June 19, to explain to him how AP’s PBLP would adversely affect the prospects of the farmers in Telangana.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also gave a power-point presentation on the violations by AP in proposing the project which envisages diverting the water from the Godavari basin, through Krishna basin, to Pennar basin.

Siddipet BRS MLA T Hairsh Rao also gave a presentation on the issue, a day before Uttam Kumar Reddy.

After the expert committee’s announcement, Harish Rao claimed that it was the result of Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) efforts that the committee rejected the proposal. He stated that BRS will continue its struggle till the project is halted.