VIJAYAWADA: Minister for Water Resources Development Nimmala Ramanaidu said during the previous YSRC regime, the irrigation sector regressed by 20 years, and several projects, including Polavaram suffered serious damage.
Participating in irrigation expert and Padma Bhushan recipient KL Rao’s 122nd birth anniversary celebrations in Vijayawada on Monday, he said under the previous regime, both irrigation and drinking water resources had suffered total neglect.
Paying floral tributes to the legendary irrigation engineer at the KL Rao Ghat, the minister said 50 years ago, Rao advocated the interlinking of rivers to address drinking and irrigation issues. He found fault with the previous dispensation for ignoring to celebrate Rao’s birth anniversary, who was the designer of Nagarjuna Sagar and Krishna Delta.
Eulogising the contribution of Rao to various projects, including gravity dams, arch dams, concrete dams, power stations, and multiple projects like Pulichintala, Ramanaidu said the services of the irrigation expert were not confined to the Telugu State, his brilliance was visible in various irrigation and hydroelectric projects across the country.
Pointing out that soon after being sworn in as the Chief Minister, Chandrababu Naidu visited the Polavaram project to take stock of the situation to bring the project back on track. “It shows our commitment towards irrigation and agriculture sectors,” he asserted.
Ramanaidu said their government is committed to following the footsteps of Rao and ensuring that the State is secured in irrigation and drinking water resources. He opined that had the government not changed in 2019, the Polavaram would have been completed by now as 72 % of the project work was completed by that time.
“Reverse tendering and change of contract agencies led to a gap of 13 months, which proved costly. Experts from IIT Hyderabad have submitted their report on the project. We are moving forward solving each problem as we go,” he said, and added that henceforth, the birth anniversary of Rao, Sir Arthur Cotton and Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya will be celebrated grandly.
Vijayawada Central MLA Bonda Umamaheswara Rao and others were present.