Hyderabad: Reacting to various statements by politicians on changes being contemplated in the Pranahita-Chevella project, the Telangana State government on Monday clarified that it would finalise the project once all feasibility studies were done for alternative sites.

Irrigation adviser and former chief engineer of Central Water Commission, Mr R. Vidyasagar Rao, told newsmen at the Secretariat that there were several lapses while taking up the Pranahita-Chevella project during the earlier Congress regime, like not taking into account the objections by the Maharashtra government which was necessary for smooth construction of the project that will utilise 160 TMC ft of Godavari waters to supply water to 16.4 lakh acre in seven backward districts of Telangana.

He said that the Maharashtra government was not accepting the proposal of constructing the barrage at Thummidihatti as per the original plan, which will submerge more than 5,000 acre of land in that state.

The earlier government had proposed the barrage height at 152 metre to which the Maharashtra government had raised objections. It had said that it would have no problems if the height was 148 metre. In such a case, the contemplated benefits under the project will not be achieved.

“This situation was not visualised by the previous government, they had simply approved the retired engineer’s plan and went ahead with calling for tenders for the works and so far spent Rs 7,000 crore,” said Mr Vidyasagar Rao said.

The non-acceptance of the barrage height by Maharashtra, coupled with non-availability of 160 TMC ft of water needed for the project at the Thummidihatti site, has compelled the newly-formed Telangana government to look for alternatives.

Thus, Medigadda village, situated 20 km downstream of Kaleswaram at the confluence of Pranahita with Godavari, is being considered as an alternative for the project.

“The Centre’s undertaking, WAPCOS, has been entrusted to take up the feasibility of the alternative proposals; once that is complete, the government will be in a position to finalise the site, but politicians are unnecessarily creating confusion among people as if the TRS government has shelved the original project, which is not true,” Mr Rao added.