VIJAYAWADA: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar and Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav on Sunday hailed the inauguration of Veligonda Project Phase-1 as a historic milestone for residents of Prakasam and Markapuram, describing the arrival of Krishna waters to drought-prone lands as a testament to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s vision and resolve.
Ravi Kumar said the project to be inaugurated by Naidu on Monday morning, would permanently transform the economic landscape, agricultural prosperity, and living standards across Markapuram.
He noted that declaring Markapuram a separate district, developing it into a horticulture hub and completing Veligonda were achievements realised under Naidu’s leadership. Satya Kumar highlighted the historic moment of Naidu, who laid the foundation stone for Veligonda in 1996, returning three decades later to dedicate Phase-1 to the nation.
Ravi Kumar recalled that Prakasam district representatives had marched to New Delhi during their time in opposition to secure net water allocations for the project. Launching a sharp attack on the previous YSRCP administration, Ravi Kumar criticised its neglect of irrigation structures.
“The YSRCP regime allowed the Annamayya project to wash away, while gates at Pulichintala, Prakasam Barrage and Gundlakamma were severely damaged due to lack of maintenance. YSRCP leaders who neglected basic upkeep have no moral right to speak on Veligonda,” he asserted.
The Ministers emphasised the government’s commitment to project-affected families, noting that Rs 768 crore had been disbursed to 6,206 evacuee families, including a record disbursement within 48 days. Satya Kumar said the sacrifices of these families would now guarantee irrigation for lakhs of acres and drinking water for nearly 25 lakh residents.
Looking ahead, Satya Kumar said Veligonda waters would catalyse economic growth across Markapuram by driving crop diversification, expanding horticulture, dairy farming and seed production. He added that the project would pave the way for food processing, cold storage and logistics infrastructure, turning Markapuram into an agro-based economic hub.
He further stated that the government was prioritising overall water security by expediting major irrigation projects such as Polavaram, Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari, Vamsadhara and Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi to lay foundation for long-term development.