Hyderabad, June 22: Telangana’s Irrigation Minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy, made it clear on Monday that there will be no compromise on the state’s allocated water share in the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS).
He stated that the state government is taking all necessary measures to protect the interests of farmers in the RDS area.
The minister held a high-level review meeting at the B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat to discuss issues related to the RDS and the Tungabhadra Dam. The meeting extensively reviewed matters concerning the distribution of Tungabhadra water.
This meeting took place amid an ongoing dispute regarding Andhra Pradesh‘s alleged unauthorized use of Krishna River water. Last week, a team of engineers from the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) inspected the RDS in Karnataka and held a review meeting with officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka.
The minister instructed officials to firmly assert Telangana’s rights regarding the use of Tungabhadra water. He emphasized that protecting Telangana’s rights is the government’s primary objective.
He urged officials to remain vigilant to ensure that activities from upstream states do not harm Telangana’s farmers. The government will fight for the rights and irrigation security of Telangana’s farmers on every platform.
The minister also called for prioritizing the irrigation needs of farmers in the Krishna River basin. He mentioned that a strategic plan has been developed to robustly present Telangana’s stance in tribunals, boards, and interstate meetings.
He directed officials to prepare a comprehensive report that includes legal, technical, and administrative aspects. He reiterated the government’s commitment to fully utilize Telangana’s allocated water share and to strongly oppose any decisions that could harm the state’s interests.
The meeting included MLA Sanjeev Reddy, Principal Secretary (Irrigation) E. Sridhar, Joint Secretary K. Srinivas, N.C. Ramesh Babu, and other officials.
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