Chief Minister Revanth Reddy convened an all-party meeting of Telangana's Parliament members at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Praja Bhavan, Hyderabad, ahead of the Parliament session beginning July 20, urging MPs across party lines to collectively pursue long-pending central approvals for the state's irrigation, infrastructure, and urban development projects.

Context

The Chief Minister's Office shared that CM Revanth Reddy addressed Telangana MPs through a PowerPoint presentation detailing files pending with the Union government. The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu, Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, government adviser AP Jithender, and MPs including Eatala Rajender, Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Dr Mallu Ravi, Raghuveer Reddy, Kiran Chamala, the Khammam MP, and Kadiyam Kavya, along with senior officials.

The CM emphasised that Hyderabad is among six mega-cities that together house 10 per cent of India's population and contribute 25 per cent of national GDP, making central support for the city's growth a national priority, not merely a state concern.

Policy Backdrop

Telangana's infrastructure and irrigation agenda has been caught in a web of inter-state and Centre-state negotiations since the state's formation in 2014. The division of river-water assets and irrigation projects between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under the bifurcation settlement left several clearances and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) unresolved for over a decade.

On Hyderabad Metro Phase-II, the CM informed MPs that the Centre has agreed to appoint SBICAPS as consultant for the expansion, and urged MPs — specifically Eatala Rajender and Konda Vishweshwar Reddy — to ensure the process moves swiftly. For the Regional Ring Road (RRR), 95 per cent of land acquisition on the northern stretch is complete, but Union Cabinet approval is still needed to begin work and to acquire land for the southern section.

On water resources, the CM revealed that while Telangana is entitled to 15.09 TMC from the Tungabhadra, siltation has reduced actual inflows to under 5 TMC. He said the Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil was requested to persuade Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to cooperate on desilting dams and canals. He also noted that Chhattisgarh holds a 300 TMC share in the Godavari but is not utilising it; even if 160 TMC is used in future, a surplus of 143 TMC remains, of which Telangana could secure 43 TMC. The Centre, he said, has taken responsibility for persuading Chhattisgarh on the Godavari-to-Nagarjuna Sagar river-linking proposal.

Stakeholders and Impact

The CM called on MPs to meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to press for sanction of an IIM in Hyderabad, for which Finance Ministry approval is pending. On the Musi River rejuvenation project, the first-phase tenders have been floated, but a central approval letter under the Urban Challenge Fund is awaited; MPs were asked to meet Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on this.

For connectivity, the CM said alignments for bullet trains from Shamshabad Airport to Bengaluru, Chennai, and Mumbai have been finalised. Land acquisition for Adilabad Defence Airport and Warangal Airport is complete, and the state is seeking MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) and air-cargo facilities at these airports. MPs were urged to pursue these with the Centre.

On the Tummidihatti project, the CM suggested MPs facilitate a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to resolve construction parameters at 150-151 feet. He also noted that AP must still issue NOCs for projects begun in the undivided state, and said both the Jal Shakti Minister and the AP Chief Minister have given in-principle agreement.

What's Next

With Parliament resuming on July 20, the CM has appointed IAS officer Advait Kumar Singh at Delhi's Telangana Bhavan as a coordination point for all MPs seeking information on pending central files. Dr Mallu Ravi was designated convener to coordinate MPs across parties.

The success of Telangana's push will hinge on whether MPs from the ruling Congress and opposition BJP can sustain the cross-party alignment the CM is seeking — a test that will play out visibly in the upcoming Parliament session.