Maharashtra pact no threat to AP farmers: Telangana

Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the two pacts were completely different from each other.

Update: 2016-03-12 20:46 GMT
It was found that Muraleedharan had settled his dues but it was not recorded in branch manager's account.

Hyderabad: Former Central Water Commission chief engineer and TS irrigation advisor R. Vidyasagar Rao on Saturday assured AP farmers, dependent on the River Godavari, that they need not worry about availability of water for their crops due to construction of new projects upstream by TS.

In a statement issued here on Saturday, Mr Vidyasagar Rao said that as per the Bachawat Commission, and subsequent orders issued by erstwhile united AP government, as much as 530 tmc ft of waters has been allocated for the projects in residuary AP. This quantum of water will be realised from Lower Godavari portion, Sabari and Indravathi tributaries.

Mr Vidyasagar Rao said it is for the Godavari River Management Board which was constituted as per the AP Reorganisation Act, to ensure that residuary AP gets its due share. With regard to the controversy attached to the agreement between TS and Maharashtra governments recently and the agreement reached by former Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy over the height of Tummidihatti project, Mr Vidyasagar Rao said the two pacts were completely different from each other.

He said the political leaders are only relying on an agreement entered into in 2012 wherein it was agreed to keep Tummidihatti height at 152 metres was misleading and wrong.

He said Maharashtra former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had on October 5, 2013 had clearly stated in a letter, Maharashtra’s objections over Tummidihatti site which has been conveniently ignored by the critics now.

Mr Vidyasagar Rao said that due to objections by Maharashtra, the TS again sought and obtained a report from WAPCOS and came out with the alternative like reducing the height from 152 to 148 metres.

He said officials from two state governments will meet on March 19 to work out follow-up action on the agreement entered recently.

He clarified that not withstanding to the height, everyone should know that Tummidihatti barrage is a lift scheme and not a gravity scheme.

Similarly due to climate change, as well as illegal constructions by upper riparian states, water is not reaching Singur, Nizamsagar and Sriramsagar projects for the last few years and TS can only benefit from other two tributaries of Godavari i.e Pranahita and Indravati.

Keeping in view the fact that flood waters could be realised only for three months period, Telangana government has increased storage capacity of the proposed projects from 14.7 tmc ft decided by previous governments to 130 tmc ft.

He also made it clear that still several clearances from various Ministries in Government of India are still awaited and unless all clearances obtained then only 'investment clearance' can be obtained which could be followed up for getting National Project status for the scheme.

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