Congress legislators and public representatives from Telangana’s erstwhile Palamuru region have asked the government to halt the diversion of water from the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation (PRLI) scheme to the Dindi project, warning that the move could affect irrigation and drinking-water supplies in the region. Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has assured them that officials will examine the issue before a decision is taken.
A delegation led by Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao met Uttam Kumar Reddy in Hyderabad on Thursday. The group included Congress MLAs from the erstwhile Palamuru region, elected representatives and Nagarkurnool MP Mallu Ravi. Legislative Council Chairman G Sukhender Reddy, former minister K Jana Reddy and other leaders from the erstwhile Nalgonda region were also reported to have participated in the meeting.
The meeting followed growing criticism over the slow progress of PRLI works. Political leaders across party lines, retired employees, intellectuals, farmers’ groups and other organisations have been raising concerns about the pace of execution and the potential effect of the Dindi project on water availability in Palamuru.
According to the report, the Palamuru Congress leaders told the irrigation minister that water should not be drawn from Yedula reservoir under the PRLI scheme for the Dindi project. They sought the use of alternative sources instead, arguing that diversion from Yedula could adversely affect the ayacut planned under the PRLI scheme in the erstwhile Palamuru region.
The representatives clarified that their objection was not to the Dindi project itself, but to the proposed source of water and the implications for the irrigation command associated with PRLI. Their position places the dispute within a wider question of how water is prioritised between linked regional irrigation projects when the source infrastructure and project schedules do not advance at the same pace.
The reported disagreement also highlights the administrative challenge of managing interconnected lift-irrigation systems. Decisions on the source and timing of water diversion can affect the sequencing of reservoir operations, canal works and command-area development. In this case, local representatives are seeking clarity on whether the diversion would reduce the water available for the Palamuru ayacut while PRLI construction remains delayed.
Uttam Kumar Reddy reportedly told the delegation that a meeting with irrigation officials would be held shortly. He assured the representatives that the government would take a decision acceptable to all sections. The proposed review is expected to address the concerns over drawing water from Yedula reservoir and the status of pending PRLI works.
The controversy has also acquired political significance because Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy comes from the Palamuru region. The report said the government has faced criticism over the slower pace of PRLI execution while work on the Dindi project has progressed more quickly. The next officials’ meeting and the government’s decision on the water source will determine how the competing concerns are addressed.
