HYDERABAD, MARCH 05, 2024: The Telangana state government has urged the Union Government to accord permissions and convince the neighbouring Maharashtra state about land acquisition and water between the two states for taking up the ambitious Tummidi Hatti Lift Irrigation Project across the river Pranahita.
Then Congress government led by Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajashekhar Reddy conceived the Pranahita-Chevella lift irrigation project to provide irrigation sources to the parched upland regions of Telangana state. The then Congress government had also taken up several canals and other project works as part of the Jalayagnam programme.
However, after the formation of Telangana state, former Chief Minister had redesigned and the ambitious Pranahita Chevella project and conceived Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project on the pretext of non-availability of water at Thummidi Hatti. Ironically, the barrages constructed across the river Godavari as part of Kaleshwaram project have started sinking and causing huge damage to state exchequer.
Accordingly, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy submitted a list of requests to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who left Hyderabad on Tuesday after a two-day visit to the state and participating in several developmental programmes. The CM stated that the government was ready to take up the construction of the Thummdi Hatti project if an amicable settlement is reached with Maharashtra state.
He also urged the Union government’s cooperation in speedy execution of works on the balance 2,400 MW of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) power plant and the State would give the necessary clearances in this direction. Though a power plant with installed capacity of 4,000 MW was assured to Telangana during the bifurcation of the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh as part of the AP States Reorganisation Act, 2014, only 1,600 MW installed capacity was achieved during the last 10-year tenure of the previous BRS Government.
He also sought the support of the Centre for the expansion of the Hyderabad metro and Musi Riverfront development project. He also urged the Centre to allocate additional 29 IPS officers posts to the state in the wake of bifurcation of several districts and formation of new Commissionerates of police.
He also thanked the Prime Minister for permitting the construction of elevated corridors on Hyderabad-Ramagundam and Hyderabad-Nagpur highways and urged the Centre to sanction one Indian Institute of Management (IIM) to Hyderabad assuring that the Government was prepared to provide necessary land for the purpose.
Later, Governor of Telangana and Lt. Governor of Puducherry Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Chief Minister, Minister for Transport and BC Welfare Ponnam Prabhakar and other officials gave a warm see off to the Prime Minister of India at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad.