26 October,2026 08:00 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
CM Fadnavis held a meeting with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his delegation at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai.
Maharashtra will independently study issues related to Telangana's Thumidihatti irrigation project, including the proposal to increase its height, following a request from Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
A joint committee comprising the chief secretaries and water resources department secretaries of both states will examine the technical aspects and the potential submergence of areas in Maharashtra.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Maharashtra would adopt a constructive approach towards cooperating with Telangana while safeguarding the interests of its citizens.
Fadnavis held a meeting with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and his delegation at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai.
During the meeting, Revanth Reddy and Telangana Water Resources Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy briefed Fadnavis on the Thumidihatti project and requested approval to increase its height from 148 metres to 152 metres.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra had consistently supported resolving issues between neighbouring states through mutual cooperation.
He added that the state would have no objection to taking a positive decision if another state stood to benefit without causing any harm to Maharashtra's citizens.
Maharashtra had previously adopted a positive stance on Telangana's proposal, he said. However, subsequent observations indicated that the actual submergence area following the earlier approval was larger than initially anticipated.
Therefore, a detailed assessment of the impact of the revised proposal was necessary, Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis said the study would examine how changes to the project site could affect the submergence area, the inclusion of the relevant wildlife sanctuary and the extent of land required outside the riverbed.
If Telangana identifies any objections or shortcomings in Maharashtra's assessment, officials from both states will discuss them. Expert opinions will also be sought, if required, he said.
Issues relating to water allocation and statutory clearances fall under the jurisdiction of the Central Water Commission, Fadnavis noted. Once the commission seeks Maharashtra's opinion, the state will present its position based on facts.
A final decision on the project will be taken after the independent assessment and technical discussions, he added.
Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan attended the meeting virtually, while Telangana Water Resources Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy was present in person.
Maharashtra Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Lokesh Chandra, Principal Secretary Shrikar Pardeshi, Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Eknath Dawale, secretaries Jayant Borkar and Prakash Misal, and senior officials from the concerned departments were also present.
