CM Revanth Reddy Seeks Early Approvals for Tummidihatti Barrage

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil to intervene with the Maharashtra government and facilitate early approvals for the construction of the Tummidihatti Barrage. Revanth Reddy met the Union minister in Delhi along with Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, with discussions focusing on several pending issues concerning irrigation projects being taken up by Telangana in the Krishna and Godavari river basins.

The Chief Minister sought the Centre’s intervention to help Telangana and Maharashtra reach an early understanding on constructing the barrage at a Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of +152 metres. He said the Telangana government had already provided the information sought by Maharashtra in connection with the project and requested the Union ministry to facilitate the remaining discussions.

According to Revanth Reddy, construction of the barrage at the proposed level would allow water to be diverted to Ellampalli through gravity, reducing the dependence on pumping. This would significantly lower the electricity requirement as well as the expenditure involved in transporting water, he explained.

The Chief Minister also requested the Union minister to expedite environmental clearances for several key irrigation projects, including the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme (DLIS), Sitarama Sagar Multipurpose Project and Gouravelli Reservoir. Referring to the recent Supreme Court judgment and the Centre’s proposed guidelines on environmental clearances, he sought immediate approvals for the projects. He pointed out that delays in securing clearances were resulting in a rise in construction costs.

Revanth Reddy further sought the early clearance of pending proposals related to the Sammakka Sagar Project before the Central Water Commission (CWC). He said Telangana had already submitted the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the CWC and was seeking approvals concerning irrigation planning and interstate issues. The state government is also holding discussions with the Chhattisgarh government to obtain a no-objection certificate for the project.

The Chief Minister also raised the issue of telemetry equipment under the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). He requested that the installation process be expedited, noting that Telangana had already deposited ₹4.15 crore required for the first phase. He also sought faster implementation of the second and third phases.

Minister Vivek Venkataswamy, MP Vamshi Krishna Gaddam, state government irrigation adviser Adityanath Das, Chief Minister’s Secretary Manik Raj and other officials attended the meeting.