HYDERABAD: Telangana officials on Friday demanded that the Jal Shakti Ministry should first firm up Telangana’s water rights before taking up the Godavari-Cauvery link projects. At the general body meeting of the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) held in Delhi on Friday, TS officials also wanted the Ministry to seek a consensus from participating States before proceeding for the river linking.
Telangana Engineer-in-chief B Hari Ram and Chief Minister’s OSD (Irrigation) Sridhar Rao Deshpande attended the meeting, which is chaired by the Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at Vigyan Bhavan.TS officials also wanted the Union Minister to approve the six detailed project reports (DPRs) of six irrigation projects proposed on Godavari. The State government, as per the gazette notification, submitted the DPRs for the clearance, they said.
“Expedite the process and see that the DPRs are approved at the earliest,” the TS officials requested the Union Minister. Tamil Nadu officials said that the Godavari-Cauvery link should be taken up in a time-bound manner. Tamil Nadu wanted the Jal Shakti Minister to consider the contours at highest level, while linking Godavari with Cauvery. Rajasthan Minister Udaylal Anjana said the State was water-scarce. Therefore, a supply of water from surplus rivers was required.