KCR Sets Deadline For Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project

Telangana: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asked the Water Resources Department officials to complete the works on Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme by December this year. He also wanted officials to complete work on the pending projects in the Krishna Basin. He said the time has come for the Water Resources Department officials to work with total commitment.

The construction work of the pending projects in the Krishna Basin is expected to be completed soon.

A high-level review meeting was held on Sunday night at Pragati Bhavan on the progress of construction work on the Palamuru Upliftment Scheme and on further expediting the work.

The meeting was attended by ministers from the joint Mahabubnagar district Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Planning Commission vice-president B Vinod Kumar, MLAs Lakshmareddy, Marri Janardhan Reddy, Guvvala Balraj, Abraham, Anjayya Yadav, Krishnamohan Reddy, Narender Reddy, Ala Venkateshwar Reddy, Rajender Reddy, and Rammohan Reddy.

"There are some unfinished works to be completed. Think about how fast we can complete these works. Works should be continued taking inspiration from the Kaleswaram Project. In any case, the works on Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme should be completed by this December," the Chief Minister told a high-level review meeting on the progress of works on the project on Sunday.

In this meeting, ministers, MLAs and other public representatives from the Palamuru region (undivided Mahabubnagar district) participated. They included minister S Niranjan Reddy, V Srinivas Goud, State Planning Board Vice Chairman B Vinod Kumar, MLAs, and senior officials.

KCR recalled that during the separate Telangana statehood movement, his speeches never concluded without mentioning the water crisis in Mahbubnagar and the fluoride problem of Nalgonda.

"The then rulers intentionally kept Telangana projects pending. After the formation of the state, the ongoing pending projects are being completed one by one. Certain vested interests have created problems and obstacles for the completion of the Palamuru Rangareddy project by filing cases in the courts and getting stay orders. But yet we are going ahead with the works with more determination. We have completed ongoing pending projects like Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Bhima, and also Jurala and turned 11 lakh acres in southern Palamuru as fertile lands," he said.

The CM explained that there is a difference between the flow of the Godavari River and the Krishna. The Godavari river flow would be more while it traverses, while the flow from Krishna will be less. Moreover, with upper riparian states of Krishna River like Karnataka and Maharashtra constructing projects and the neighboring state taking away water through pipes and due to lack of rain, availability of water in Krishna has been on the decline and reached danger levels. Against this backdrop, the rightful share of the state in Krishna water should be utilized to the last drop. For this, all the pending projects on the Krishna River including Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme should be completed as soon as possible, the CM told officials.

He said Krishna water should be diverted to make Palamuru full of fertile and crop-yielding land. The faster the project is completed, the better for the farmers and the agriculture sector. He said this project could be linked to the Jurala project.

KCR discussed with the ministers and officials about the land acquisition to be taken up for the Lift Irrigation Scheme, rehabilitation measures, construction of the substations, digging of the canals, setting up of the pumps, and related works.

The Telangana CM discussed at length on the subject. The TRS supremo reacted to the slow pace of work and explained the need to complete the work more diligently. He said the pumps to be set up at Narlapur, Yadula, and Vattem would be installed soon. Engineers were asked how many more days it would take to complete the tunnel works from Narlapur to Yadav. The work is expected to be completed by the end of June.

KCR questioned the officials about the delay in works even though the government was providing the required funds. He clarified that the irrigation authorities should be ready to expedite the work from now on. The CM directed senior officials Smita Sabharwal, Rajat Kumar, and Muralidhar Rao to conduct weekly reviews at the field level to review the progress of the works. We did not realize how fast the Kaleswaram work was done, he said, adding that in the same spirit, he wanted the construction work of the Palamuru embankments to be completed expeditiously.

The TRS chief also recalled that funds were made available to various levels of officials in the Irrigation Department. He said that the officers were given the facility to carry out the work there without spending any money as far as Hyderabad. Irrigation engineers are expected to work well with a good mindset in the face of so much government encouragement. The irrigation department is like a lifeline for Telangana, said CM KCR.