VIJAYAWADA: A meeting of irrigation society presidents will be held at Amaravati tomorrow under the aegis of the Water Resources Department. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan are expected to attend the meet, which will focus on strengthening irrigation management across the State.
Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu on Wednesday said the irrigation system had suffered setbacks during the previous YSRCP regime due to mismanagement. Bills amounting to Rs 18,000 crore were left unpaid. “The NDA government is working to put the irrigation sector back on tract, with special attention to major projects, including Polavaram, Handri-Neeva, Veligonda, Galeru-Nagari and Polavaram Left Main Canal,” Nimmala said.
Highlighting the NDA government’s achievements, he noted that despite the completion of the Kharif season, reservoirs in Rayalaseema remain full, which was attributed to Naidu’s effective water management strategies. Drawing a historical parallel, he remarked that just as Rayalaseema’s tanks brimmed during the reign of the Vijayanagara kings, today reservoirs and tanks are overflowing under the NDA regime.
The Chief Minister’s vision, Nimmala said, is to conserve every drop of water, enhance groundwater levels, and ultimately make AP a drought-free State.