Telangana CS meets Maharashtra counterpart amid push for barrage on Godavari
Hyderabad, Aug 12 (IANS) Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju met his Maharashtra counterpart Rajesh Aggarwal in Mumbai on Wednesday and discussed ways to strengthen the relations between the two states.
Jaju briefed Aggarwal on various welfare and development programmes being implemented by the Telangana government, the state’s ongoing development progress, and the ‘Rising Telangana–2047’ vision.
The two officials discussed ways to further strengthen the cordial relations between Telangana and Maharashtra and to advance development initiatives through mutual cooperation, said an official release here.
Jaju also met State Bank of India (SBI) CMD C.S. Setty and apprised him of the development taking place in Telangana, investment opportunities and the objectives of the ‘Rising Telangana–2047’ vision.
He also outlined the measures being undertaken by the government to ensure the state’s comprehensive development and industrial growth, as well as efforts to attract investments and create employment opportunities.
The meeting between Chief Secretaries of the two states came a week after Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy met Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and urged him to persuade Maharashtra to agree to the construction of the Tummidihatti barrage on the Pranahita River with a height of 150–152 metres.
The Chief Minister, along with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, met Patil in New Delhi. They informed the Union Minister that Maharashtra had previously agreed to a construction height of 148 metres.
Revanth Reddy requested Patil to persuade Maharashtra to agree to a barrage height of 150–152 metres, noting that a height of 148 metres would not allow for sufficient water supply via gravity. He explained that increasing the barrage’s height would not cause significant submergence in Maharashtra.
The Chief Minister referred to his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking approvals, as well as subsequent communication from the Prime Minister’s Office forwarding the matter to the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Revanth Reddy requested Patil to arrange a meeting between Telangana and Maharashtra regarding the issue as soon as possible. He explained that completion of the project would provide irrigation facilities to the underdeveloped erstwhile Adilabad district.
Patil had stated that a meeting would first be organised under the aegis of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to initiate discussions between officials from Telangana and Maharashtra. He assured the Chief Minister that a meeting between the Irrigation Ministers of both states would be arranged subsequently.
–IANS
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