Maharashtra will prioritise its own interest on Telangana barrage project, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Telangana delegation that Maharashtra had maintained a policy of resolving issues with the neighbouring States through cooperation. File

Maharashtra will prioritise its own interest while co-operating with Telangana for a barrage project, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday (October 26, 2026). He met with Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Mumbai regarding the proposal to increase the height of Tummidihatti Barrage. The two States have agreed to form a joint committee, comprising the Chief Secretaries and the Secretaries of the Water Resources Departments of both the States. It will examine the technical aspects and the potential area of submergence in Maharashtra.

Telangana government has sought Maharashtra’s nod to increase the height of Tummidihatti Barrage from 148 meters to 152 meters.

The Tummidihatti Barrage is proposed to be built on the Pranahita River near Tummidihatti village in Koutala mandal of Komaram Bheem Asifabad district in Telangana. It will help meet the long-pending drinking and irrigation demands of north Telangana. The project targets the historically neglected tribal communities in the erstwhile Adilabad district. Telangana has proposed to build the barrage at 150 to 152 metres. In Maharashtra, it will lead to the submergence of 1,000 to 2,300 acres of land, depending on the height of the barrage. Telangana has offered to compensate affected farmers in Maharashtra as per Maharashtra’s land-acquisition and rehabilitation guidelines.

Mr. Fadnavis told the Telangana delegation that Maharashtra had maintained a policy of resolving issues with the neighbouring States through cooperation. The State has no objection to taking a positive decision, provided it does not cause harm to the citizens of Maharashtra while benefiting the other State,” he said. He noted that though the State had adopted a constructive approach towards Telangana’s proposals in the past, it had observed that the actual submerged area in the previous project had exceeded the originally anticipated extent.

Consequently, the two Chief Ministers decided to form a joint committee after Mr. Fadnavis emphasised on the need for a thorough study of the potential impact of the new proposal.

Mr. Fadnavis said that Maharashtra’s study will cover the impact on the submerged area resulting from the change in the project site, the inclusion of any relevant wildlife sanctuaries, and the extent of land required outside the existing riverbed. “If Telangana identifies any objections or discrepancies in Maharashtra’s study, officials from both states will discuss them. Expert opinions will also be sought, if necessary,” he said.

Matters concerning water allocation and statutory clearances fall under the purview of the Central Water Commission (CWC). Once the CWC seeks the State’s feedback, Maharashtra will present its position based on facts, State government officials said. The CM said that further decisions regarding the project will be taken following an independent study and technical discussions.

The meeting was attended by Maharashtra’s Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan, Telangana’s Minister for Water Resources Uttam Kumar Reddy, Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Lokesh Chandra, Principal Secretary Shrikar Pardeshi, Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department Eknath Dawle, Secretaries Jayant Borkar and Prakash Misal, and other senior officials from the concerned departments.

politics / Telangana / Maharashtra / water