Harish Rao accuses State government of mortgaging Telangana’s Tungabhadra rights

Published 24 June 2026 · politics

Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao on Wednesday accused the Telangana government led by A. Revanth Reddy of compromising the State’s rights

Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao on Wednesday accused the Telangana government led by A. Revanth Reddy of compromising the State’s rights over Tungabhadra waters and demanded immediate intervention to halt Karnataka’s alleged illegal projects on the river. In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Mr. Harish Rao alleged that the State government was adopting a ‘compromising approach’ towards Karnataka’s construction of barrages and flood lift schemes on the Tungabhadra claiming it could adversely affect the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS), Tummilla and Bhima projects.

Expressing concern over Karnataka’s proposed and ongoing projects, including the Kuridi (2 TMC), Chikkalaparvi (2.5 TMC) and Chikkalamanchi (5 TMC) bridge-cum-barrages, Mr. Harish Rao questioned whether Telangana’s water rights had been used as a bargaining tool to secure a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Karnataka for the Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme. He sought to know the circumstances under which Karnataka issued an NOC for the Kodangal Lift project on July 18, 2025, and alleged that the State government had failed to raise objections to Karnataka’s projects for nearly a year.

“Who gave the government the authority to mortgage Telangana’s water rights?” he asked. The BRS leader alleged that Karnataka was constructing a flood lift scheme in Raichur district at a cost of ₹85 crore to divert 2 TMC of water from the Tungabhadra without obtaining mandatory approvals from the Central Water Commission (CWC), Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments. Harish Rao demanded that the Telangana government immediately lodge official objections with the CWC, KRMB and the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti against Karnataka’s projects and ensure strict implementation of the Bachawat Tribunal award governing Tungabhadra water utilisation.

He also urged the State government to move the Supreme Court, if necessary, to safeguard Telangana’s interests. He further alleged that the government had weakened the Bhima project by diverting around 7 TMC out of its allocated 16.94 TMC to the proposed Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme, affecting irrigation potential over two lakh acres.