Penna, Sangam barrages will be ready by early next year: Minister

Sangam Barrage is likely to be ready by February, which will also be inaugurated by the Chief Minister.
Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister P Anil Kumar Yadav (File Photo | EPS )
Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister P Anil Kumar Yadav (File Photo | EPS )

VIJAYAWADA: Water Resources Minister P Anil Kumar Yadav has said that the department is working to complete the works related to Penna Barrage soon and get it inaugurated by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy by the end of January, 2021. Sangam Barrage is likely to be ready by February, which will also be inaugurated by the Chief Minister.

The Water Resources Minister, along with Kovur MLA Nallapareddy Prasanna Kumar Reddy and Nellore District Collector KVN Chakradhar Babu, participated in a formal ceremony launching the installation of crest gates at Penna Barrage in Nellore on Sunday. The installation of crest gates is expected to be completed by the end of December. 

Speaking on the occasion, he said that the government had initially planned to complete the works by December, but the Covid-19 induced lockdown and continuous flooding this season had delayed them. He noted that over 100 TMC of flood water passed through Penna and Sangam Barrages this season due to heavy rains in their catchment areas. 

“The foundation for the project, a long-pending demand of Nellore people, was laid by former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2007, and the works progressed at a snail’s pace in the last 13 years. We are now working to complete the works by January 15, 2021, and get it inaugurated by the CM by January-end,” the minister said. 

He also noted that several irrigation works were sanctioned for Nellore district in the last one and a half years. About 60 TMC water was stored in Kandaleru this year and efforts are being made to increase the storage up to 68 TMC. “To be able to store 68 TMC, about `50 crore is needed for completion of the pending works. The payments for rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected families will be cleared soon,” he said.

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