Irrigation expert and Advisor to the Telangana Government R. Vidyasagar Rao, died after prolonged illness at a private hospital in Hyderabad on Saturday. He was 77.
He was a close associate of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao from the initial days of the lateral phase of the Telangana movement since 2001. Vidyasagar Rao played a key role in highlighting the injustices done to the Telangana region in the matter of sharing water resources from the beginning of the region's merger with Andhra to create Andhra Pradesh in 1956, while preparing a report submitted on behalf of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to Justice Srikrishna Commission appointed by the Centre after 2009 to look into the demand for statehood to Telangana.
Appointed as Advisor to the Telangana Government immediately after its formation in June 2014, Vidyasagar Rao also had a significant role in the re-engineering and redesigning of irrigation projects, particularly the prestigious project of Kaleshwaram taken up to utilise Godavari water by remodelling Pranahita-Chevella project.
Born on November 14 in 1939 at Jajireddygudem village of the erstwhile Nalgonda district, Vidyasagar Rao pursued his Bachelors degree in engineering from Osmania University in 1960 and a Masters degree in Water Resources Development from the University of Roorkee in 1979. He was associated for long with the Central Water Commission (CWC), the apex body in water resources in the country, and retired as the Chief Engineer in the early 1990s after serving the agency for over 30 years.
Vidyasagar Rao also worked with the United Nations and the World Bank on the issue of water resources, as a consultant to the UN Environmental Programme. He had a Diploma in Water Resources Systems Engineering from the Colorado State University and a degree in Law from Delhi University.
To highlight the injustices done to Telangana in the matter of water resources he wrote many opinion-cum-news articles in his column by name “Neellu-Nijaalu” (water and facts) in several regional language and English newspapers. During the Telangana movement, he tried to create awareness among people on the water resources issues through seminars, public meetings and other platforms.
He was admitted to a private hospital last week with bladder-related cancer and was put on a ventilator after his condition had deteriorated.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao expressed grief and said his death was an irreparable loss to Telangana particularly in the matter of water-related issues. “He was not only an associate in the Telangana movement but was like my elder brother”, the Chief Minister said in his condolence message. Leaders of several parties also paid their respects to Vidyasagar Rao.
