152-metre FRL at Tummidihetti: Telangana urges PM’s intervention for Maha nod

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Sports Minister Vakiti Srihari, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to facilitate an agreement with Maharashtra to enable a Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 152 metres at Tummidihetti.

For context, Maharashtra has repeatedly opposed the 152-metre height due to potential land, forest, and tribal village submergence in districts like Gadchiroli and Chandrapur.

At 152 metres FRL, estimates indicate roughly 2,300 to 4,000 acres of land (including portions of reserved forest and local tribal areas) would face submergence in Maharashtra.

During their meeting with the Prime Minister on Sunday, the Telangana delegation explained the importance of the Tummidi Hatti project and presented detailed statistical information. The Chief Minister and the Ministers stated that Telangana was prepared to compensate Maharashtra for any additional submergence resulting from the proposed reservoir level.

The delegation also requested the Prime Minister to expedite the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Chhattisgarh for the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage.

Speaking to the media in New Delhi after the meeting, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state had obtained a submergence assessment report from IIT Kharagpur and deposited the amount sought for preparing the additional Detailed Project Report (DPR). He requested the Centre to also examine the Sammakka-Sarakka project DPR in accordance with the regulations that were in force when it was originally submitted. Uttam said he would meet the Chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC) on Monday, while Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and he would meet the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday to pursue the pending clearances.

The Chief Minister and the Ministers also invited Prime Minister Modi to the Khelo India Youth Games, scheduled to be held in Telangana during December 11-22.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the delegation urged the Prime Minister to accelerate environmental clearances for the Palamuru-Rangareddy, Seethamma Sagar, and the Dindi irrigation projects. He pointed out that successive governments had spent nearly Rs 50,000 crore on these three projects, but their progress had been affected by delays in processing environmental applications, despite a Supreme Court ruling.

The Minister urged the Prime Minister to intervene in resolving the clearance-related hurdles affecting irrigation projects across the country.

The state government has submitted proposals amounting to Rs.5,856 crore for four irrigation schemes under the PM Krishi Sinchayee Yojana for 2027–28. The proposals include Rs 5,183 crore for the integrated Seethamma Sagar–Seetarama project, Rs.392 crore for Modikunta Vagu, Rs.178 crore for Chinna Kaleshwaram and Rs.103 crore for Chanaka-Korata.

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Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty

Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty