Jalayagnam Projects to be put on fast track

The cabinet sub-committee on irrigation projects taken up under the Jalayagnam programme has directed the officials concerned to submit a report recommending measures to be taken up on a war-footing to complete the projects. The sub-committee, which met here on Wednesday to review the progress of works, wanted officials to submit a report on the projects supposed to be completed in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Major irrigation minister Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, medium irrigation minister TV Venkatesh, finance minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy and major industries minister J Geetha Reddy attended the meeting. Of the 86 irrigation projects proposed under the massive programme, 82 were taken up by the government and 14 have been completed, creating and stabilising an ayacut of 1,89,379 acres and bringing 1,51,204 acres under irrigation. Construction of 68 projects is in progress and some of them have been completed nearly half.

Of those, 12 projects in the Andhra region and 14 in Rayalaseema and 24 in Telangana have been taken up on a priority basis. To complete these projects in the next two years it will require Rs 11,969.28 crore. If all these 50 prioritised projects are completed the government will be able to provide irrigation to 31 lakh acres of new ayacut and can stabilise 1.51 lakh acres of the old ayacut. The sub-committee said that the government spent

Rs 18,203.11 crore in Andhra, 17,278.79 crore in Rayalaseema and 29,837.98 crore in Telangana on construction of irrigation projects from 2004-05 till July this year but expressed dissatisfaction over the slow progress of works despite clearing contractors’ bills. The ministers asked the officials to place all the information relating to new ayacut and progress of irrigation projects on the Internet.. The projects required acquisition of 9,57,059.53 acres of land and the government has so far acquired 6,14,593.82 acres and paid 6,812.29 crore in compensation.

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