Hasten pending projects, Kiran tells officials

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Tuesday directed officials of different departments to work together to resolve all pending issues, including legal cases, and expedite ongoing irrigation projects in the backward Rayalaseema region.

Irrigation projects worth Rs 28,000 crore are currently being constructed in the Rayalaseema region, but land problems and legal hurdles have been hampering them, leading to delay in completion and escalation of costs, official sources said. Officials informed the chief minister that modernisation works related to Mylavaram canals and the Guru Raghavendra Lift Irrigation Scheme would be completed during the current financial year, while other projects like Telugu Ganga, Gundlakamma, Galeru-Nagari Sujala Sravanthi, Somasila and Penna-Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir (Stage-2) would be completed by 2014. They also said that forest clearance has to be obtained for certain tracts of land and power sub-stations have to be constructed for lift-irrigation schemes.
The chief minister asked the principal chief conservator of forests to look into forest land clearances and take up the issue with the central government on a priority basis.
He also wanted a liaison officer appointed in New Delhi to pursue the project-related issues with the Union ministries concerned. If there are any problems at the Centre, I will take them up myself. Even the chief secretary will coordinate in this regard, the chief minister said.
He also asked for immediate disbursement of rehabilitation and resettlement package to project-affected families.
PTI