Amaravati, June 24 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, along with his Karnataka counterpart D. K. Shivakumar, Telangana counterpart A. Revanth Reddy and Union Jal Shakti Minister C. R. Patil, will inaugurate the newly installed crest gates of the Tungabhadra Project on June 25.

They will participate in the inauguration ceremony and attend a public meeting at Hosapete in Karnataka.

The project, considered a lifeline for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, has undergone a major transformation with the installation of new gates.

According to an official release here on Tuesday, work on installing all 33 gates, costing Rs 51 crore, has been completed.

Built 73 years ago, the Tungabhadra Project serves as a vital water source for lakhs of acres of agricultural land across Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Gate No. 19 was washed away during the floods in August 2024. To immediately prevent water wastage, a ‘stop-log’ gate was installed following the Andhra Pradesh government’s initiative and Chief Minister Chandrababu’s directives.

Acting on a report from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) recommending the replacement of all spillway gates, the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka successfully completed the installation of new gates within six months, effectively revitalising the project.

The Tungabhadra Project plays a crucial role for Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana, providing irrigation water to lakhs of acres and drinking water to hundreds of villages.

In Andhra Pradesh alone, the Tungabhadra Project provides irrigation water to 1.46 lakh hectares. Water is supplied to the Kurnool, Kadapa, and Anantapur districts via the right canal.

Against this backdrop, the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka treated the project’s safety as a matter of high priority and rapidly completed the installation of the gates.

A delegation from Karnataka had met Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Monday and invited him to attend the inauguration of the newly installed crest gates.

The delegation, comprising former Karnataka Minister N.S. Bosuraju, MLA Basavaraju, and MLC Basavanna Gowda, handed over the invitation to the Chief Minister.

Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday directed officials to take steps to assert Telangana’s rights on using its share of the Tungabhadra river waters, and to prepare a comprehensive report on legal, technical, and administrative aspects of the state’s share of water from the river.

Uttam Kumar Reddy made it clear that there will be no compromise on using Telangana’s share of water from the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) on the Tungabhadra.

–IANS

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