HYDERABAD: Maharashtra irrigation officials have agreed to complete the land acquisition and imp lementation of the relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package before June next year for taking up Lendi inter-state irrigation project.
Engineering officials of Maharashtra and TS came to this understanding at a coordination committee meeting on Friday.
Maharashtra irrigation chief engineer BD Tonde, his Telangana counterpart R Madhusudan and other officials participated in the meeting.
The Telangana officials wanted the Maharashtra irrigation officials to expedite land acquisition and R&R packages so that the Lendi project could be completed at the earliest.
Irrigation minister T Harish Rao, who was in Nizamabad district, spoke with the Maharashtra chief engineer over phone and reviewed the progress of the project work. Later, the Maharashtra officials agreed to complete all the works by June 2017. They also agreed to complete the first reservoir by June 2018 and store water up to the level of crest gates.
Lendi is an inter-state irrigation project being jointly constructed by Maharashtra and Telangana on the Godavari. The TS government paid ` 183.73 crore to the Maharashtra government towards its share and expressed willingness to contribute more if the project cost escalates.