Revanth Reddy’s water allocation to Dindi sparks row between Nalgonda, Palamuru leaders

Telangana Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy backed Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s decision to allocate 0.6 TMCft from PRLIS to the Dindi project, criticising BJP MP DK Aruna’s opposition and urging efforts to secure national project status for PRLIS

Nalgonda: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s decision to allocate 0.6 TMCft of water from the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) to the Dindi project has triggered a war of words between leaders of erstwhile Nalgonda and Palamuru districts.

Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision and criticised Mahabubnagar MP DK Aruna for demanding the cancellation of the Dindi project.

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Speaking to media persons here on Sunday, Sukhender Reddy termed the BJP MP’s demand unreasonable and suggested that she instead focus on securing national project status for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme.

He said the government’s primary objective was to safeguard the interests of farmers in both Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts. The Chief Minister’s decision was a significant step towards fulfilling the long-cherished aspirations of the people of erstwhile Nalgonda district.

Thanking Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy for the initiative, he said the allocation would benefit farmers in the region.

Sukhender Reddy said that as a senior leader of a national party and a Member of Parliament, DK Aruna should work towards developing irrigation projects rather than creating divisions between regions.

He urged her to exert pressure on the Central government to accord national project status to PRLIS, which would greatly benefit farmers in the Palamuru region.

The Council Chairman said the Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme was not merely an irrigation project but a vital initiative aimed at transforming the lives of people in Devarakonda and Munugode, who had suffered for decades due to the fluoride crisis.

Opposing attempts to create regional disputes over water sharing, he said restricting water resources to the districts where projects were located would be counterproductive.

“The argument that a district’s water should be used exclusively within that district is flawed. If other States adopt such a policy, Telangana will not receive even a single drop of water from Karnataka,” Sukhender Reddy said.

He recalled that 30 TMCft of water was being supplied to Hyderabad through the Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project (AMRP), underscoring the need to prioritise the interests of the entire State over regional considerations.

He also stressed that providing irrigation water to farmers was essential to curb migration from the Palamuru region, which had persisted for decades. Completion of PRLIS would significantly benefit the farming community, he said.

“Disputes over water between the people of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts are detrimental to both regions,” Sukhender Reddy said.