Over administrative powers of Tail Pond at Nagarjuna Sagar, the dual Telugu states, led into a dispute. 

The Tail Pond is constructed downstream of Nagarjunasagar and upstream of Pulichintala between Satrasala in Guntur and Kotha Nandikonda of Damarcherla Mandal in Nalgonda district.

According to the sources, it was revealed that, Telangana government sent a letter to AP seeking to take over the administrative powers of the Pond. Responding to it, the AP government arranged 300 personnel, including SPF, Police, Genco and Revenue officials as the security around the project.

The T officials said that, the Tail Pond at Sagar, was a sub-project under Nagarjunasagar Hydro Power Project, given to Telangana after the bifurcation of the states.  The Hydro Power Project at Sagar was built with Japan Technology, where it has seven turbines having 100 MW power generating capacity.

To save the water from going waste, these turbines can generate power and also reverse pump the water stored in Tail Pond. The ‘T’ government decided to use the technology during the ensuing monsoon. 

On the other hand, a 50 MW hydro power generation unit was built by the then united APGenco. Over 50,000 acres of ayacut in Telangana is stabilized through the pond. The contention of the Telangana government is that the tail pond project was constructed with the funds earmarked for Nagarjunasagar Hydro Power project. So it is specially to adopt a reverse pumping facility to pump water to Nagarjunasagar.

Because of this, the AP government is now worried about the 50 MW power generation unit that, it might lose the rights on it.

AP police step up security at the site

Telangana Energy Secretary, Aravind Kumar issued a memo on June 6 to TSGenco MD and Chairman, Ajay Jain to allot employees who are native to Telangana to the 50 MW powerhouse of the tail pond.

Responding to the situation, AP officials, who asserted the claim, directed the Guntur police to step up security at the site.

“The situation is quite normal, but we have stationed a battalion of Special Protection Force (SPF) personnel only as a precautionary measure,’’ the Superintendent of Police (Guntur Rural), M. Narayan Naik said.

Power generation in July

P.D.V.L Kumar, APGenco, Superintendent Engineer, Nagarjuna Sagar Tail Pond, on whom the administrative control of the tail pond is laid, said that the works relating to tail pond with a capacity of 7 TMC and power generation capacity of 50 MW have been nearly completed and added that power generation would begin in July, if everything goes well.

By Phani