ANANTAPUR: Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy has said irrigation facility will be provided to 8 lakh acres in the drought-prone Anantapur district by diverting Krishna river water.
Addressing a public meeting at Hindupur today, the Chief Minister said a mega irrigation project would be evolved to utilise the surplus water of Krishna river based on the allocation of the water tribunal.
He said the State Government initiated several schemes to provide better irrigation facility to the farm land in the district. Water is being supplied to 2 lakh acres through HLC and 5 lakh acres are being irrigated under Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi, Yadiki and Dharmavaram canals.
Somasila water would be supplied to the Science City and Lepakshi City. To promote industrial development in the district, 2 tmc of water would be diverted from Somasila reservoir, the Chief Minister said. Later, he unveiled a pylon marking the inauguration of Sri Ramireddy Drinking Water Scheme executed at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore.
Ministers JC Diwakar Reddy, N Raghuveera Reddy and Pinnamaneni Venkateswara Rao, MPs A Venkatarami Reddy and Nizamuddin, Zilla Parishad Chairperson T Kavitha and others were present. The Chief Minister was received by District Collector V Anil Kumar, SP MK Singh, DIG Sujatha Rao, Congress MLAs and MLCs at the helipad.
Former municipal chairman BS Vidyasagar, Mandal Praja Parishad president DN Adisesha Reddy, ZPTC member K Sudha, MPTC member Kistappa, sarpanch Ravindra Reddy, Dr Hari Krishna and several Telugu Desam leaders joined the Congress in the presence of Rajasekhara Reddy.
The Chief Minister felicitated differently abled Shivappa of Urvakonda, Thimmaraju of Kambadu and Narasamma of Rolla mandal, who participated in the eight-day padayatra undertaken by Agriculture Minister Raghuveera Reddy to mark the inauguration of the drinking water scheme.