HYDERABAD:Clearing the air on construction of the main barrage of Pranhita-Chevella at Tummidi Hatti in Adilabad district, state irrigation advisor R Vidyasagar Rao said here on Monday that the main barrage is likely to come up at Medigadda near Kaleswaram and the state government is also contemplating construction of a mini-barrage or a dam at Tummidi Hatti.
As Maharashtra government raised objections over constructing a barrage at Tummidi Hatti, the state government is trying to prevail upon Maharashtra to allow construction of at least a mini-barrage, he said.
Recently, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, during his visit to Mumbai, held discussions with his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis to allow the Telangana government to increase the height of barrage to 152 but Maharashtra government reportedly rejected the proposal.
“If Maharashtra government permits us, we will construct a mini-barrage or dam and provide irrigation to 56,500 acres in Adilabad district. There is no need for people in Adilabad to worry about irrigation waters,” Vidyasagar Rao told reporters.
He said that the Central government’s organisation WAPCOS was about to give its report in three months on the possibility of constructing a main barrage at Medigadda, 20 km away from Kaleswaram.
The reasons for the proposal to change of main barrage from Tummidi Hatti to Kaleswaram were that the objections raised by Maharashtra and also non-availability of waters in Godavari at Tummidi Hatti, the advisor said.Vidyasagar Rao explained that though the state government was eligible to use 160 tmc water from Godavari, the actual available water was only 130 to 140 tmc at Tummidi Hatti. Around 270 to 300 tmc water was available in Godavari at Medigadda, he said.
Rao also stated that there were no sufficient barrages to store Telangana state’s 160 tmc of Godavari waters. That was why the government has decided to increase the capacity of Taragapalli and Pamulaparthi barrages by 31 tmc and 20 tmc respectively, he explained.
Without knowing these facts some ‘pseudo intellectuals’ were raising apprehension against Pranahita-Chevella project, Vidyasagar Rao alleged. He said that even the TTDP’s Mahanadu was planning to adopt a resolution demanding the state government to construct barrage at Tummidi Hatti with 152 meters height. “How is it possible to construct the barrage when Maharashtra government is opposing it?,” Vidyasagar Rao questioned.
He also said the state government was re-engineering projects like Flood Flow Canal, Devadula and Kanthanapalli.
The state government has so far spent Rs 8,700 crore on land acquisition and for paying mobilisation advances for Pranahita-Chevella project. “If all permissions are accorded, then it will take another five years for completion of the project,” Vidyasagar Rao said. As per the latest rates, Pranahita-Chevella would cost around Rs 45,000 crore.