HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy met Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday and sought his government’s cooperation in issuing a No-Objection Certificate (NoC) for the Sammakka Sagar Project, formerly known as the Tupakulagudem Barrage.
Sources said securing the NoC is crucial for Telangana to obtain Detailed Project Report (DPR) approval from the interstate directorate of the Central Water Commission (CWC). All other CWC directorates have already cleared the project.
After receiving a letter from Uttam, Vishnu Deo Sai reportedly responded positively and assured that the request would be examined sympathetically. Telangana had made a similar request in September 2025.
Irrigation engineers from both states have already conducted a joint survey of the likely submergence area. Chhattisgarh, however, sought a more detailed assessment, including demarcation of the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) and backwater levels to determine the extent of affected land and villages. Telangana agreed to bear the survey cost and released `9.88 crore to the Chhattisgarh Water Resources department in April 2026. The survey is currently under way in Bijapur.
Telangana also assured compensation for any land affected by submergence or backwater impact and expressed willingness to pay the amount in advance to facilitate the NoC.
The project traces its origins to the undivided Andhra Pradesh government’s PV Narasimha Rao Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi Scheme. Following Telangana’s formation in 2014, the project was redesigned, with studies recommending shifting the barrage downstream to Tupakulagudem in Mulugu to reduce submergence.
The project aims to divert 46.96 tmcft of Godavari water to stabilise 4.40 lakh acres under SRSP Stage-II, create a new ayacut of 30,000 acres, support the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, and provide drinking water to hundreds of villages.
