Centre and Telangana to discuss national status demand for irrigation project

New Delhi: Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati on Monday said that the Centre and Telangana government officials would discuss the demand for according national status for Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project in the state.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao called on Bharati on Monday urging her to execute the irrigation project as "a national project".

"Officials from the state government and the Ministry of Water Resources will sit together to discuss about the issue in another seven or eight days," the Water Resources Minister told reporters after the meeting.

Assuring the Chief Minister that her Ministry would be positive about the project, Bharati said Rao also discussed about a few other water resources projects.

According to sources in the Ministry, the project is meant for transferring water from Pranahita river, a tributary of Godavari river, to Chevella benefiting about 15 lakh hectares of farmlands in the newly carved out state.

Rao also discussed about assistance through Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme to Devadulla Project, the sources said.