BRS tours Krishna sites, calls Karnataka barrages illegal
Leaders visit Gugal bridge‑cum‑barrage, allege Telangana’s share is being held back. Karnataka records confirm the structure exists; no legal finding declaring it illegal located in this research. Talks for joint barrages were held in May–June.
The Gugal bridge-cum-barrage is documented; its legal status remains disputed.
BRS leaders led by former ministers V. Srinivas Goud and C. Laxma Reddy toured sites on the Krishna and Bhima in Karnataka on 26 July, visiting a bridge‑cum‑barrage at Gugal in Raichur district and alleging Karnataka is holding back flows that should reach Telangana. The group pointed to hydraulic gates and a nearby small hydropower unit during the “Chalo Karnataka” visit and termed the structures “illegal”.
The Gugal bridge‑cum‑barrage is documented in Karnataka records and central studies. A Karnataka legislative paper notes the structure is completed and that stored water is used by farmers through pumps and lifts. An Inland Waterways Authority feasibility report describes Gugal as a high‑level bridge‑cum‑barrage with vertical gates, used locally for irrigation, and associated with small hydropower. A contractor page lists Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited as the employer for the project. None of these records, however, determine whether it breaches inter‑state allocations or required clearances.
Context: Telangana and Karnataka publicly discussed coordinating new bridge‑cum‑barrages earlier this year. On 26 May, the two states’ irrigation ministers agreed in principle to cooperate and to form a joint committee, including proposals for barrages near Raichur, Kolpur (Krishna) and Tangidi (Bhima). On 4 June, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy conducted an aerial survey of proposed barrages across the Bhima and Krishna; on 6 June he said Telangana proposed to build bridge‑cum‑barrages in coordination with Karnataka, with cost‑sharing and Telangana seeking 60% of the water. Those are political statements; this research did not locate a legal or technical ruling on the existing Karnataka structures’ status.
The BRS allegations about “illegal” projects are attributed claims. No tribunal, KRMB, CWC or court order declaring them illegal was found in the material reviewed.