Clearing the way for expeditious completion of long awaited irrigation projects on Godavari and two other rivers, Telangana on Tuesday signed a historic pact with neighboring State Maharashtra in Mumbai.
The agreement, covering five important irrigation projects, was signed by the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and his Maharashtra counterpart Devender Fadnavis in the presence of the irrigation Ministers of both the States.
The projects envisage to irrigate 16.4 lakh acres in Telangana and 50,000 acres in tribal areas of Maharashtra.
The last obstacle in the way of signing the agreement was removed when Telangana Government agreed to reduce the height of Thammidihatti dam from 52 meters to 48 meters. The other projects to come under the agreement include Medigadda, Chanaka Korata, Rajapet and Pen Pahad, which were all part of the redesigned Pranahita-Chevella project, now renamed as Kaleshwaram project. While three barrages will be constructed by Telangana, two will be constructed by Maharashtra.
Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao termed the signing of agreement as historic development.
Telangana fought for the river water and irrigation projects for the last 60 years and his entire struggle was for the water and the other resources, he said. KCR committed himself to cordial relations with Maharashtra. The Maharashtra CM Devender Fadnavis lauding the signing of the pact said, “with this the relations between the two states will be strengthened further”.
He said that the completion of the projects will require continuous coordination between the two states. The final pact was corollary to the initial agreement the two Chief Ministers had reached in March last.
later KCR also called on Maharashtra governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao who also hails from Telangana.
On his return from Mumbai, Chief Minister KCR was accorded a traditional and warm welcome by his Telangana Rashtra Samiti leaders and supporters.
From the Begumpet airport, the Chief Minister was taken to his official residence in a procession which also included a large number of farmers and also the folk dancers and traditional drum beaters.