Karnataka Deploys Police To Increase Rajolibanda Barrage Height!

Karnataka government has ordered Raichur police to provide protection to staff working at RDS to increase the height as per agreement reached earlier between Karnataka & AP. Telangana government has been following up with Karnataka government on a priority basis to get the height of Rajolibanda barrage increased by 15 cm. and a letter was written by Irrigation minister Harish Rao to the Karnataka government on the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS).

The government sources say Karnataka government is cooperating with the Telangana government. But, due to the recent rains, the water levels increased up to crest gate levels. Once the water recedes, the work to increase can be done.

The RDS, an inter-State project, is a barrage across the Tungabhadra in Manvi taluk of Raichur from where a canal from its left bank irrigates about 6,000 acres in Karnataka and is also supposed to irrigate 80,000 acres in the Telangana. Although the anicut lies in Karnataka territory in Raichur district, work was stopped earlier this month following protests by farmers of Kurnool district led by Mantralayam MLA Y. Balanagi Reddy. It is this highhandedness of Rayalaseema leaders that never allowed Mahabubnagar district, about 80,000 acres in 75 villages of Gadwal and Alampur, in the 55 year history of project, to tap water to irrigate it’s farms. The project was designed to irrigate 94,000 acres in Raichur district of Karnataka, Mahabubnagar of Telangana and Kurnool district of AP with 17.1 tmcft water allocation.