Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has directed officials to mount a strong legal presentation before the Supreme Court to protect the state’s claimed share of Krishna river waters, with the dispute involving Andhra Pradesh expected to come up after November 18.
The direction was issued during a review meeting on the irrigation department at the MCRHRDI, where the Chief Minister discussed the state’s legal strategy with senior officials, legal experts and irrigation authorities. He asked officials to submit all necessary evidence relating to the inter-state water dispute and ensure that Telangana’s position is effectively presented before the court.
The meeting was attended by irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, irrigation adviser Adityanath Das, CMO secretary K. Manicka Raj, irrigation secretary E. Sridhar, joint secretary K. Srinivas, Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy, senior Supreme Court counsel C. S. Vaidyanathan and other senior irrigation officials.
Alongside the court case, Revanth Reddy reviewed the implementation of the Dindi and Achampet lift irrigation schemes. He directed engineers to expedite the works and ensure that water is supplied from Edula to the two schemes in line with an earlier decision.
Officials were specifically asked to remove bottlenecks in conveying 0.6 TMC of water required for the schemes from Narlapur to Edula. The Chief Minister also directed the irrigation department to identify locations where tunnels and canals would be needed and prepare a comprehensive Detailed Project Report before beginning the associated works.
The review also covered proposed additional works involving one TMC ft under the Kaleshwaram project. Revanth Reddy cautioned officials against taking hasty decisions and said mistakes made by the previous BRS government should not be repeated. He noted that the state was currently unable to utilise even the existing two TMC capacity for water conveyance.
The Chief Minister directed officials to first assess the progress of cases pending before the Supreme Court before starting land acquisition for the additional Kaleshwaram works. He also asked them to obtain the required clearances from the Central Water Commission and prepare a comprehensive DPR before proceeding.
The directions place the legal status of Telangana’s Krishna water claims alongside the practical capacity of the state’s irrigation network. The government’s immediate approach, as outlined at the meeting, is to strengthen the evidence submitted in court while prioritising ongoing schemes and requiring technical and regulatory groundwork before expanding the Kaleshwaram system.
The next formal milestone identified in the review is the expected listing of the water dispute before the Supreme Court after November 18. Officials are also expected to advance the DPR, clearance and design processes for the proposed works.
