- Irrigation Minister reaches out to Chhattisgarh Water Resources Minister

- Truce likely, No Objection Certificate from Chhattisgarh crucial for the project

FACT FILE

■ Conceived in 2009 as the PV Narasimha Rao Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi Project for 50 TMC (Phase-I) ultimate utilization of 100 TMC

■ Shifted to Tupakulagudem after 2014;designed to store 6.94 TMC at FRL +83 m to stabilize 4.4 lakh acres under SRSP-II and provide drinking water to nearby areas.

■ Completed in 2021 at a cost of Rs 1,996 crore, but due to lack of Chhattisgarh NoC, storage restricted to +80 m (4 TMC).

■ Clearances obtained: Environmental (2020), Forest (2020), CGWB (2023), MoTA (2022). 

■ Pending: CWC TAC clearance tied to Chhattisgarh NoC

metro india news  I hyderabad

The Telangana government has stepped up its efforts to secure the crucial No Objection Certificate (NoC) from Chhattisgarh for the Sammakka Sagar (Tupakulagudem Barrage) project. Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy personally reached out to Chhattisgarh Water Resources Minister Kedar Kashyap over phone, expressing readiness to pay compensation for the land in Chhattisgarh territory likely to be submerged due to the barrage’s backwaters. Uttam Kumar Reddy even conveyed his willingness to visit Chhattisgarh in person to hand over the cheque.

The Chhattisgarh minister, in response, assured that he would review the matter with senior officials and revert soon. The Telangana government’s proactive stance follows the submission of an independent survey by an IIT Kharagpur professor, commissioned by Chhattisgarh, which confirmed submergence of nearly 100 acres. This has given fresh momentum to a project clearance that has been pending for years.

The Sammakka Sagar project was conceived in 2009 as the P.V. Narasimha Rao Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi Project, aimed at utilising 50 TMC in Phase‑I (eventual 100 TMC), with an initial storage capacity of 22.5 TMC. Administrative approval for Rs 10,409 crore was granted in February 2009. After the formation of Telangana in 2014, the barrage location was shifted upstream to Tupakulagudem in Mulugu district.

Construction was taken up by the BRS regime in 2016 and completed in 2021 at a revised cost of Rs 1,996.18 crore. The project’s purpose is to stabilise 4.4 lakh acres under SRSP Stage‑II using 41.03 TMC, irrigate 30,000 acres under the Ramappa‑Pakhal link with 2.93 TMC, and provide 3 TMC drinking water to nearby areas. At full capacity, the barrage is designed to store 6.94 TMC at Full Reservoir Level (+83 m). However, due to the absence of Chhattisgarh’s NoC, the storage is restricted to +80 m (4 TMC).

Efforts to resolve Inter State hurdle

While the project has obtained environmental (2020), forest (2020), MoTA (2022), and CGWB (2023) clearances, it is still awaiting Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC). This approval hinges on the NoC from Chhattisgarh, given the inter‑state nature of the project and the submergence of land in the neighbouring state.

The previous BRS government’s attempts to secure the NoC failed, despite a joint survey estimating 40 acres of submergence. Chhattisgarh disputed those figures, stalling the process. The Congress government revived talks in 2024‑25, with senior officials including Principal Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja making visits to Chhattisgarh. Multiple letters, including one from the irrigation minister dated 18 January 2025, have been sent.

The recent IIT Kharagpur study estimating 100 acres of submergence has now provided a more accepted baseline for settlement. Telangana hopes that by offering prompt compensation and sustained high‑level engagement, Chhattisgarh will soon issue the NoC, enabling full storage, enhanced irrigation benefits, and formal CWC recognition of the project — finally unlocking the barrage’s full potential after nearly a decade of delays.