Speaking at the event, CM Revanth Reddy asserted, “If not now, this project will never be completed. We’ll finish it at any cost. The people of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar will not forgive us if we don’t.”

The Chief Minister acknowledged the hardships faced during the construction, including the loss of eight workers, but emphasized that the Telangana government has resumed work with renewed commitment. He also directed officials to resolve all rehabilitation and resettlement issues of displaced families from Marlapadu, Kesya Thanda, and Nakkalagandi Thanda by December 31.

The SLBC tunnel project—sanctioned in 1983—was designed to carry 30 TMC of Krishna river water to irrigate 3 lakh acres in Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar districts. Former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy initiated works on Tunnel-1 and Tunnel-2 in 2004 with ₹1,968 crore tenders, deploying India’s first tunnel boring machine for irrigation purposes.

By 2014, several kilometres of the tunnel were completed, but progress stagnated over the past decade. Revanth Reddy alleged that K. Chandrashekar Rao and T. Harish Rao had sidelined the project for political reasons, hindering Nalgonda’s gravity water supply.

Once completed, the 40-km SLBC tunnel will not only transform irrigation potential in Telangana but could also set a world record for one of the longest irrigation tunnels. The project’s revised cost now stands at ₹4,600 crore, and the government is determined to bring it to completion