HYDERABAD: As the State government is all set to inaugurate the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) on Friday, people, especially the farmers, look forward to reap the benefits from the project.
Though, the officials originally planned to lift two tmcft of Godavari water daily, now they have decided to increase the capacity to three tmcft per day.
If the flood days are 180 days per year, the government could lift 543 tmcft out of the 954 tmcft of its share in Godavari.
The State government started constructing Kaleshwaram with its own funds and raised loans from nationalised banks.
Despite repeated pleas by the State government, the Centre neither accorded national project status nor released funds to the project. Out of the total Rs 1 lakh crore estimated expenditure for the project, the government so far spent around Rs 50,000 crore.
The foundation for Kaleshwaram was laid in May, 2016 by KCR and now the first phase of the project will be inaugurated by him on Friday.
In these three years, the government constructed three major barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla. ‘’Kaleshwaram is not a single project. It is an aggregation of several projects,” an engineer said.
Homams to be performed
The State government will also be conducting homams at Medigadda and Kannepally pump house on Friday. According to sources, the priests will perform “Jalasaya Prathistanga Homam” by invoking Rigveda mantras.
‘Thanks to CM, KLIS completed in record time’
Peddapalli: Chief Secretary SK Joshi, along with a delegation of bankers, visited Package 6 pump house and surge pool of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) project on Thursday.
Later speaking to media persons, the chief secretary said project was completed in record time due to the strong commitment of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
To ensure that the project is completed successfully and people from across the State benefit from the scheme, the government has take up renovation and construction of five old reservoirs, 19 new reservoirs, barrages, pump houses, nearly 203 kms of tunnels and 17 sub station for power supply.
While revealing that the CM had spent a total of 1,600 hours with various experts to discuss the implementation of project, Power Finance Corporation Chairman and MD Rajeev Sharma said that project will lead to tremendous development in the Sate.