After NDSA says ‘your call’, Telangana asks Centre for ‘technical guidance’ on Kaleshwaram
Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy says no pumping or storage will resume without written advice; NDSA has already clarified the decision rests with the State.
The State seeks clearance for a decision it already has authority to make.
Content type: news
The Telangana government has sought written “technical guidance” from the Union Jal Shakti Ministry and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on whether it is safe to resume storage and pumping at the Kaleshwaram barrages, even as the NDSA has clarified that the decision rests with the State government.
According to Telangana Today, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to write to the Centre and NDSA, saying “written advice from a competent technical authority” was mandatory before any decision on resuming operations and that no move would be made on “political pressure or visual assessment.” The minister has separately said barrages would be operated only after NDSA and Central Water Commission (CWC) clearances.
On July 22, the NDSA stated its remit is dam safety and that operational or policy decisions on when and where to pump water are for the State government. The authority said it does not deal with project planning or usage decisions, and that allocation for irrigation or drinking water is a State policy matter.
Uttam Kumar Reddy has also cited NDSA’s position to rule out operating the Kannepalli pump house for now, while the government prepares an action plan for repairs at Kaleshwaram’s main barrages after structural concerns were flagged. There is no published completion date for rehabilitation works yet.