HYDERABAD: Telangana Irrigation department has decided to convince the Andhra Pradesh government on taking up the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) modernisation works. AP’s non-cooperation to Karnataka government in taking up the modernisation works has affected the Palamuru farmers for over a decade now, and keeping this in view, the TS government has decided to bring the issue to the notice of the AP government.
Karnataka Irrigation minister MB Patil had recently told his counterpart T Harish Rao that they could not take up the works without the support of AP government. Whenever the Karnataka government took up the works, farmers from Kurnool district of AP obstructed them by creating law and order problems. Though the money was spent by TS government for modernisation, Karnataka was executing them as the head regulator of RDS was located in Karnataka.
In this backdrop, Harish Rao has decided to write a letter to his AP counterpart Devineni Umamaheswara Rao inviting the latter to participate in a tripartite meeting of AP, TS and Karnataka ministers and officials.
As per the recommendation of Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, Andhra is allowed to draw 5 tmc ft of water from RDS right canal. If the head regulator is not modernised, the state would not be able to draw its own share of water. Thus, modernisation would help both Kurnool (AP) and Mahbubnagar (TS) farmers. The same will be conveyed by Harish Rao soon to Umamaheswara Rao, sources told Express.
The scheme in numbers
If modernisation of RDS is completed, Telangana would get its share of 17.2 tmc ft water to irrigate 87,500 acres of land. The designed discharge is to flow 800 cusecs of water per day in RDS canal. As of now, the state is getting hardly 500 cusecs of water a day Rs 10,573 cr Revised estimates for four packages - Total amount deposited with Karnataka - Rs 58.94 crore Rs 46.79 cr of the remaining amount TS ready to pay to Karnataka