Hyderabad: Sharing the stage with his Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka counterparts, chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday urged the Centre to expedite a permanent solution to the long-pending Tungabhadra river water-sharing issue. He called upon all stakeholders to rise above regional interests and work collectively for the welfare of farmers in the three southern states.Addressing a public meeting at Munirabad in Karnataka after the inauguration of 33 newly installed spillway gates at the Tungabhadra dam, Revanth described the occasion as a “red-letter day,” noting that the chief ministers of the three states had come together for discussions on the contentious issue under the chairmanship of Union Jal Shakti minister C R Patil.The CM stressed that finding solutions should take precedence over disputes and said the meeting on the banks of the Tungabhadra marked a significant step towards resolving long-standing inter-state water conflicts.Expressing confidence in the outcome of the deliberations, Revanth said the discussions would pave the way for a permanent settlement of the water-sharing issues among the three states.He described the inauguration of the 33 new spillway gates as a major initiative towards addressing a dispute that had affected generations. The project, he said, would also help resolve the concerns of lakhs of farmers dependent on Tungabhadra water.Referring to historical efforts to address water-related challenges, Revanth noted that even the rulers of the erstwhile Mysuru kingdom had set aside differences and worked towards solutions in the interests of farmers.He pointed out that Telangana farmers were able to utilise only 5 to 6 tmcft of the 17.9 tmcft allocated to the state under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme, benefiting the Gadwal, Alampur, and Palamuru regions. Nearly 10 tmcft of the allocated water, he said, remained unutilised due to various reasons.“The Telangana govt has already brought the issues of silt accumulation in the Tungabhadra reservoir and water-allocation disputes to the attention of the Union minister,” Revanth said.
