Remembering R Vidyasagar Rao, a doyen in irrigation sector on his death anniversary

R Vidyasagar Rao, former advisor of Telangana government and former member of Central Water Commission has been remembered on his third death anniversary. Rao's services to the irrigation sector in Telangana are indelible.

Rao was a close associate of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. He played a crucial role in highlighting the injustices meted out to the people in Telangana region in water sharing and also redesigned several projects including the prestigious Kaleshwaram project. He is the one who brought the water issues of Telangana state to the notice of Justice Srikrishna Commission appointed by the centre and appealed to look into the demand of separate state.

Born in Jajireddygudem village of erstwhile Nalgonda district, Vidyasagar Rao graduated from Osmania University in 1960 and a Masters degree in water resources development from the University of Roorkee in 1979. After being associated with Central Water Commission (CWC) for about 30 years, the apex body in water resources in the country, Rao retired as the Chief Engineer in early 1990s.

Later, he served as a consultant to the UN Environmental Programme and worked with United Nations and the World Bank on the issue of water resources.The changes he made in the water projects is yielding positive results with the water being flowed into the barren lands and irrigating thousands of acres in Telangana.

Remembering his death anniversary, finance minister Harish Rao and irrigation minister Koppula Eshwar poured tributes on the Twitter ...