Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday sought the Centre’s intervention to secure Maharashtra’s approval for increasing the height of the proposed Tummidihatti barrage on Pranahita river, arguing that the revision is crucial to make the project viable and ensure irrigation to the backward Adilabad region.During a meeting with Union jal shakti minister CR Patil in Delhi, Revanth Reddy requested him to persuade Maharashtra to agree to raising the barrage height from the originally proposed 148 metres to 150-152 metres and facilitate an early meeting between the two states. Patil assured the chief minister that the Centre would initiate discussions on the issue.Accompanied by irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the chief minister explained that Telangana and Maharashtra had earlier agreed to construct the barrage at 148 metres. However, studies conducted by the Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) had found it feasible to increase the height to 150-152 metres.“According to the CWPRS study, there would be no significant difference in the extent of submergence whether the barrage is built at 148 metres or 152 metres. Around 50% of the affected area would remain within the riverbed,” the chief minister said.Revanth said a barrage at 148 metres would not provide adequate water through gravity flow, while a height of 150-152 metres would enable gravity-based water supply, reducing dependence on electricity for pumping and bringing down operational costs.The chief minister also referred to a letter he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue and the subsequent response from the PM’s office. Patil informed him that the PMO communication had been received and said the Central Water Commission would first convene a meeting of officials from both states, followed by a meeting of the irrigation ministers of Telangana and Maharashtra.Environmental clearancesEarlier in the day, Revanth met Union environment, forest and climate change minister Bhupender Yadav and sought early environmental clearances for the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation project, Dindi LI project, Seethamma Sagar project and Gouravelli project.Stating that a recent Supreme Court judgment had cleared the way for approvals, the chief minister said delays were escalating project costs and affecting progress. He informed the Union minister that the state had already spent ₹36,437 crore on the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, ₹3,187 crore on the Dindi project, ₹1,835 crore on the Seethamma Sagar project and ₹1,350 crore on the Gouravelli project.He urged the Centre to expedite environmental clearances to enable the state complete the projects without further delay.
