HYDERABAD: Should the Irrigation Development Corporation (IDC) function as an independent organisation or should it be merged with the Irrigation department? This was the main point of discussion at the first meeting of the IDC Board held here on Thursday.
The meeting, which was attended by IDC chairman M Vijayababu and others, decided to discuss the issue with Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
“There was no provision to merge the IDC with the Irrigation department. But the previous BRS government issued a GO and merged the corporation with the department. However, the IDC was not fully merged with the Irrigation department and its also lost its independent nature,” Viijayababu said.
The Board meeting also noted that of the 643 lift irrigation schemes in the state, 300 lifts were not functioning. There was a need to take up temporary repairs to 100 lift irrigation schemes. The meeting estimated that around `400 crore was required to carry out repairs and see that all the lift irrigation schemes function normally.
The meeting did not take any decision on starting the new lift schemes.
The meeting resolved that the IDC should think of starting new schemes only after repair works are carried out on the existing lift schemes.