New gates of Tungabhadra Reservoir inaugurated; CMs of Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra attend
Koppal, June 25
All 33 newly installed crest gates of the Tungabhadra Reservoir were inaugurated on Thursday in Hosapete of Vijayanagara district. Chief ministers and ministers from three states participated in the programme organized at the Munirabad Government High School grounds in Koppal district
Speaking in Koppal ahead of the event, MLA Raghavendra Hitnal said the inauguration was attended by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Telangana Minister Revanth Reddy.
Hitnal said invitations had already been extended to the chief ministers of the two neighbouring states. According to him, MLAs and farmers from four districts, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari and Hosapete, participated in the programme.
Commenting on the proposal for a parallel reservoir, Hitnal said leaders from the four districts had discussed the issue with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. He said the discussions included measures for desilting the dam and proposals for water storage near Navali. A proposal to construct a water storage reservoir near Singatalur was also discussed.
Hitnal further said that the chief ministers of the three states would hold discussions with Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil and take an appropriate decision on the matter.
Speaking after inaugurating 33 spillway gates of the Tungabhadra dam, Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar said, "This is a historic event for South India. When the 19th gate broke off, the district in-charge minister, Shivaraj Tangadagi and officials called me at midnight, expressing alarm that the dam was shaking. I visited the site at 8 am the next morning. We immediately consulted experts on what needed to be done, and the gate was replaced within a week. Through this, the farmers of this region were protected," he said.
"When the gate broke off, the Opposition parties levelled criticism. It was possible to carry out such an important task only through the blessings of Goddess Sharada, Huligemma, Huchcharayaswamy, Ajjayya, the grace of Hampi's Virupaksha, and the power of Raghavendra Swamy. Our government decided to replace the 33 gates, and God has given us the opportunity to protect the farmers of these three states. Back then I was the Irrigation Minister. Today I am the Chief Minister. Even so, I remain your servant and your kinsman," he said.
The Chief Minister arrived by helicopter at the helipad located at the Reserve Police Parade Ground in Munirabad to attend the inauguration. The Koppal district administration accorded him a ceremonial police guard of honour.
Among those present on the occasion were MP Rajshekhar Hitnal, Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Syed Nasir Hussain, MLAs H.K. Patil, Shivraj Tangadagi, K. Raghavendra Hitnal, Basavaraj Rayareddy and G.N. Ganesh, former minister Amaregouda Patil Bayyapur, Ballari Range IGP Dr. P.S. Harsha, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Suresh Itnal, ZP CEO Ravneet Negi, along with other elected representatives and senior officials.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu also arrived at the Munirabad helipad for the event and was welcomed by the Koppal district administration. MLC N.S. Boseraju, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Suresh Itnal, ZP CEO Ravneet Negi, Koppal SP Dr. Ram L. Arasiddi and other representatives and senior officials were present on the occasion.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Great to see CMs from Karnataka, Andhra, Telangana coming together. But why only one day event? These water disputes have been going on for decades. We need more concrete plans for sharing water between states, not just photo ops. Hope the parallel reservoir proposal gets serious attention.
The spiritual angle is nice - CM invoking goddess Sharada and Raghavendra Swamy - but let's be honest, this is about engineering and maintenance. We need regular inspections and modern monitoring systems. Can't rely on divine intervention every time a gate breaks! 😅
My grandfather used to say Tungabhadra dam is the lifeline of Rayalaseema and North Karnataka. This inauguration is important but 33 gates is just maintenance. The real issue is silting - the storage capacity has dropped massively. If they don't desilt regularly, we'll be back to square one in 10 years.
As a farmer from Raichur, I'm cautiously optimistic. The new gates might help, but what about the Navali reservoir proposal? That's been discussed since my father's time. Talk is cheap - we need concrete results. Still, credit where due - replacing 33 gates in a year is no small feat.
Imagine the logistics - coordinating three state governments, central minister, multiple districts... And they pulled it off. Indian bureaucracy can work when there's political will. Hope this sets a precedent for interstate cooperation on water issues. 💧
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