Hyderabad, May 2 (TNT) : Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday issued strict and time-bound directions to irrigation officials, stating that restoration of tanks across Telangana cannot be delayed any further.
Chairing a high-level review meeting at Jal Soudha, Uttam declared summer desiltation works as an urgent statewide priority and directed that works begin immediately across all tanks from village-level water bodies to major systems without waiting for new guidelines.
He instructed officials to expedite the formation of tank committees through district administrations, emphasising that each tank or cluster should have a government-nominated committee with farmers forming the majority, along with local officials and stakeholders.
“Committees must be formed without delay,” he said, adding that nominations should be finalised quickly based on departmental recommendations with clearly defined roles and operational guidelines.
The Minister questioned officials over delays in processing proposals despite instructions issued nearly six weeks ago and stressed that existing desiltation guidelines should be followed without further delay, noting that only about two months of the summer window remain.
He outlined a comprehensive restoration plan, including: Desiltation of tanks ; Strengthening of bunds ; Repair of sluices and Catchment area development.
He also emphasised upstream interventions to prevent fresh silt inflow and called for afforestation measures to reduce soil erosion as part of long-term stabilisation efforts.
Uttam cautioned against over-excavation that could damage soil layers and warned that desiltation should not become a source of unauthorised mining, directing strict monitoring.
Welcoming farmer-led desiltation initiatives, he said committees should be empowered to facilitate such efforts, including the use of silt for agricultural fields.
He further directed that catchment protection, fixation of Full Tank Level (FTL), and anti-encroachment drives be taken up simultaneously with coordination between Irrigation, Revenue, and Agriculture departments.
Referring to the report of the Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission chaired by M. Kodanda Reddy, the Minister said actionable recommendations on tank development would be implemented immediately, while broader proposals would be considered subsequently.
He added that the report would be forwarded to the Chief Minister for further action and called for expediting desiltation proposals for projects such as Jurala and Music without delay.
TNT TS
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