HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday released another Rs 200 crore for construction of Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project, aimed at diverting Godavari waters to Krishna basin.
The State government had already sanctioned Rs 1,300 crore for the project.
“As per the request of the chief engineer, the finance department has given its nod for sanction of additional funds of Rs 200 crore to complete the project works within the stipulated time,” Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said.
Ramakrishnudu stated in a press release that the State government was firm on completing the project by August 15 and run the trial run on the same day.
According to him, the State government is
keen on completing the lifts to bring flood waters of Godavari to Krishna on high priority so that the lift irrigation scheme becomes operational as early as possible in order to utilise waters in the next flood season to cater to the irrigation needs of drought-hit Rayalaseema.
Though opposition parties such as the YSRC and the Congress are raising objections to the Pattiseema project, the State government is saying that as the completion of head works of Polavaram Irrigation Project would take about four years, the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS)is useful to divert the waters of River Godavari to River Krishna by lifting them with the help of 30 vertical turbine pumps, whose discharge capacity is 8 cusecs each to provide irrigation water to Rayalaseema.