Hyderabad: In a decisive move aimed at accelerating the pace of irrigation development in Telangana, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday directed the Irrigation Department to complete all pending irrigation projects in the state on a priority basis, particularly those in the Krishna River basin. The Chief Minister set a firm deadline of June 2027 for the completion of all such works and instructed officials to prepare project-wise timelines accordingly.
Presiding over a high-level review meeting at Jala Saudha, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy underscored the urgency of speeding up the construction and operationalization of irrigation infrastructure, especially the projects being executed at a lower cost, which he said should be completed swiftly. “There should be no delays where quick execution is possible,” he told officials.
To support this goal, the Chief Minister also issued clear instructions to the Finance Department to ensure that crucial projects in the Krishna basin do not suffer due to financial constraints. “There should be no fund crunch for these priority projects,” he said, emphasizing the need for seamless financial coordination between departments.
The Chief Minister stressed that land acquisition—often a bottleneck in major infrastructure projects—must be expedited. He directed the appointment of special officers to liaise with the Revenue Department and fast-track the acquisition process wherever needed.
As part of the day’s engagements, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy handed over appointment letters to 244 newly recruited Assistant Executive Engineers and 199 Junior Technical Officers in the Irrigation Department. The ceremony, held at Jala Saudha, was attended by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Civil Supplies Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Chief Secretary A. Santhi Kumari, Principal Secretary to Finance Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Principal Secretary to Irrigation Rahul Bojja, Secretary Prashant Patil, and Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) Anil Kumar.
Following the ceremony, the Chief Minister chaired a comprehensive review of all pending irrigation projects across the state, with a special focus on those in the Krishna basin. During the meeting, he issued a categorical instruction to prioritize the completion of the Sudini Jaipal Reddy Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, at least up to Uddandapur, within the next 18 months. Officials were directed to immediately prepare a clear action plan to achieve this milestone.
Likewise, the Koil Sagar Lift Irrigation Project has been given a deadline of June 2026 for completion. The Chief Minister also reviewed progress on the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift, Jawahar Nettempadu Lift, and Rajiv Bheema Lift projects, instructing that these must be completed by December this year. He inquired in detail about the status of pending civil and electrical works, as well as the financial outlays required to meet the new timelines.
Highlighting the strategic importance of securing Telangana’s rightful share of river waters, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy reiterated that the state must press its case more forcefully before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal. “Telangana must insist on receiving 70 percent of Krishna river waters, as 70 percent of the catchment area lies within our territory, whereas only 30 percent is in Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
The Chief Minister also flagged the diversion of 90 TMC of water from the Godavari basin to Andhra Pradesh’s Pattiseema project. In light of this, he suggested that Telangana’s share of Krishna waters must be recalibrated accordingly. He instructed officials to place this matter before the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) at the earliest.
Revanth Reddy urged the officials to prepare robust legal and technical arguments concerning water allocations to all projects that were under construction at the time of Telangana’s formation. These arguments, he said, must be framed effectively to strengthen the state’s claim over its fair share of water.
He also specifically asked the Irrigation Department to seek allocation permissions for ongoing works by the original government orders issued for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project.
Stating that irrigation is the backbone of Telangana’s agrarian economy, the Chief Minister called for a coordinated, time-bound, and mission-mode approach to ensure that all pending works are completed within the stipulated timeframe. “The state’s irrigation future hinges on timely execution. Let’s not lose a single drop to delay or negligence,” he concluded.
