VIJAYAWADA: Irrigation minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao said that he had instructed irrigation officials to complete the construction of Pulichintala Project by August 15 and make arrangements to store 11 TMCs of water.
Speaking at DR KL Rao’s 113th birth anniversary celebrations conducted by the Institution of Engineers of India (IEI) here Tuesday, Uma Maheswara Rao reiterated that Polavaram project would be completed in three years.
He further said that every drop of water would be conserved by the water conservation mission and rainwater will be conserved by building check dams and contours under the NREGS. He underscored increasing standards in engineering colleges on the occasion.
IEI organised a one-day workshop on the subject of ‘Interlinking of rivers in India: A vision for the 21st century’ on the occasion. Students from various engineering colleges presented papers on the interlinking of rivers.
IEI national president Ashok Kumar Basa said that interlinking of rivers was very important as it helps the water from water-surplus regions to reach water-stressed regions. Eminent people like Sir Arthur Cotton, KL Rao and Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya envisaged the possibility of integration of rivers long ago. He pointed out that countries like China and the USA had already interlinked the rivers.
IEI Vijayawada chairman P Ravindra Babu eulogised Dr KL Rao’s services to the society as an engineer.
Former Warangal NIT director PG Sastry, Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao and students from various engineering colleges participated in the celebrations.