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KCR inks Maharashtra deal
Ending six-decades-old discord over sharing of Godavari waters, Chief Ministers of Telangana and Maharashtra K Chandrasekhar Rao and Devendra Fadnavis signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Mumbai paving the way for the two states to work out a mutually-agreeable specifications on the construction of five projects across the river Godavari and its tributaries.
Mumbai: Ending six-decades-old discord over sharing of Godavari waters, Chief Ministers of Telangana and Maharashtra K Chandrasekhar Rao and Devendra Fadnavis signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at Mumbai paving the way for the two states to work out a mutually-agreeable specifications on the construction of five projects across the river Godavari and its tributaries.
The agreement will help the two states to take up works on the Medigadda barrage, as part of the Kaleshwaram project, a component of the redesigned Pranahita Chevella Project. This project will facilitate irrigation of 16.4 lakh acres in Telangana and over 50,000 acres in some tribal areas of Maharashtra with the help of four small lift irrigation schemes.
The MoU will also help the two states in taking forward the construction of barrages at Chanakha-Korata, Rajapet and Penpahad as part of the inter-state Lower Penganga project. The Telangana government has already given administrative sanction for Chanakha-Korata with an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore.
Addressing the media after signing the MoU along with the Maharashtra Chief Minister, KCR said, “This is a historical day for both Telangana and Maharashtra as this will open up new ways of cooperation for the development of both the states.” He thanked Fadnavis and Maharashtra officials for facilitating the MoU. “This is going to serve as an example for all the states for mutual cooperation in water disputes,” he said.
KCR said Telangana would be ready for mutually-agreed height of the Tummadihatti project. Maharahstra has already given indications that it would have no objections if the barrage height was reduced to 148 meters. In regard to Medigadda, the TS government has given WAPCOS survey to Maharashtra. The Telangana Chief Minister said Maharahstra could use the water stored at Medigadda for backward areas like Gachiroli.
KCR said he had also told the AP Chief Minister some time ago that after Maharashtra utilises the Godavari waters, TS would use it for its needs and later the downstream state AP can also be benefitted. He further said that an inter-state council has been constituted with both CMs as members and each CM would chair it alternately for a year. Officials of the irrigation department, forest, finance, etc will be members of the board.
The next meeting of the board will be held in Hyderabad. KCR invited Fadnavis and officials to Hyderabad for next meeting on the project. Fadnavis said that they had agreed for a pact with Telangana after the neighbouring state had explained and convinced them about various possibilities on taking up the barrage.
The next meeting between the officials of the two states would decide the height, full reservoir level (FRL) of the barrage, etc. KCR however said that Telangana is ready to take up the construction of the Medigadda barrage immediately, if given a go-ahead by Maharashtra and the talks could decide on the height of the barrage at a mutually-agreeable level. However, my request to Maharashtra is to keep in mind that higher the storage capacity of the barrage, larger the benefits to farmers of both the states without causing much submergence”.
